Finding True Rest

We all know rest in the general sense: sleeping, getting some “me-time”, grabbing a moment or two to sit down and relax.

But what about true, restorative, refreshment and rest of the soul? How do we get that kind of rest?

The rest our souls craves is not just physical rest — physical rest is important, of course, but we also need true, spiritual refreshment and deep inner peace for our weary spirits. And the only way for true rest is through Jesus Christ.

We start by unburdening our heart — unburden your anxious, stressed out, tired heart.

Jesus tells us to give Him our burdens because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7) and says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Sister, unburden your heart: fall to your knees and give it all to the Lord. Tell Him you long for true rest and want to take His yoke upon you.

As you pray for this, allow His peace to comfort you which He tells us will come as we unburden our anxieties to Him: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

When I need God desperately, I also turn to worship music. I would simply sing along and worship Him. Not only are the melodies and the lyrics so wonderful and life-giving, but singing and worshiping our King even in our low circumstances allows our spirit to take away the focus on us (as well as wallowing in self-pity and tiredness) and instead, focus on Him. He is our strength. I always find that after worship music, I feel my soul happy, refreshed and full of joy.

Being in the Word too, is of utmost importance as believers and followers of Jesus. Refresh your soul with the words of God, our Living Hope. Start anywhere in the Bible, and keep going. Let the peace and kindness and love in His Word bring you deep comfort and joy in your soul.

I believe in our modern times, too, the mobile phone (and mostly social media) can hurt our longing for true rest. Not only is it a huge distraction — such as time taken away when we could be reading the Word or praying — but I always feel there’s so much “mental stress” and information overload after being on my phone, no matter what I was looking at/reading on it. It fills my mind with things I don’t need, and in times of rest, I always throw my phone in a drawer and not look at it for days at a time. It helps a lot!

If it’s not obvious, writing, too, is a big part of my life and I highly recommend journalling. Writing out your feelings of tiredness and anxieties is something I greatly recommend to all my sisters in Christ who may be going through some trials. There are even scientific studies that show that journaling literally helps unburden and unload the mental stress (granted, you take a pen and literally write it out on paper; typing doesn’t work quite as much).

Nature, too, is incredibly healing.

As we sit in nature, enveloped in His creation, we can find peace, rest and healing for our weary, tired bodies and hearts.

A simple walk or just sitting down in the park, reading the Word or simply watch the birds, the clouds, the trees. Sit. Pray. Be still. I always like to meditate on Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” I find incredible spiritual peace and stillness sitting in nature. I encourage you, dear sister, to try and sit in nature when you need some deep spiritual rest.

Most of all, as we seek true rest, restoration and peace in our souls, remember that Jesus is the answer. Seek Him and find your soul singing, “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken!” (Psalm 62:1-2).