Tuesday, March 1, 2016

The Hard Work of Resting

For much of the last few weeks I have taken time away from Skokie. Technically I was on a sabbatical. No I wasn’t wasting time doing nothing. I’m way too Type A for that. I was busy reading, writing and thinking, but without the stress of interruption from calls, emails, texts and unexpected crisis walking into my office. It was very restful! My mind lately had grown exhausted from what has been a very exciting and effective time of almost continuous ministry. Not all burdens will exhaust the body, but all burdens can exhaust our mind and spirit.

Rest is of course a Scriptural commandment. Yeshua our Messiah himself spoke this challenge to us in Matthew 11:28, Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Yeshua is not speaking here of taking a break from doing the dishes, instead he is speaking of our laying on him the deep burdens of our heart and mind.

Laying our burdens at the feet of our Messiah Yeshua brings rest. For those of us in ministry work, whether vocational or volunteer, this means rest from assuming responsibility for what we can’t control; rest from activity that G-d hasn’t actually called us to do; rest from people who won’t choose to change no matter how much time we might pour into their lives.

Yeshua calls us to rest in him, in who he is and in his sovereignty over our lives as Melech Mashiach, King Messiah!

Impacting our world for Messiah demands our willingness to work hard for him while at the same time resting fully in him. Paradoxical yes, but isn’t that always G-d’s way? Something to think about!

Forward for Messiah,

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director