Rest

Why? So many horrible things are happening so near, to those I love. And they are looking at us next. Why are they allowed? The temptation to live by fear instead of by faith, to let terror, not the Holy Spirit determine my next moves, looms dark in my heart. I sometimes feel fatigued and heavy. Why did my Father call me here, just to become so heavy-laden?

You can’t rest unless you are tired. When you exercise, tens of thousands of microscopic tears are ripped into your muscles. And, when you use the chemical ATP, which is stored in your muscles to release energy, it changes into lactic acid, which makes you feel more and more fatigued and heavy as it accumulates. Rest consists in repairing the muscle tears (each tear repaired becomes stronger than it was originally) and converting the lactic acid back into ATP (which also stimulates extra ATP production). Here is the rub: if you don’t have any muscle tears nor any buildup of lactic acid, you can not properly rest, no matter how much time you spend laying around. You just atrophy – turning your body’s proteins into fat.

As with the body, so with the soul. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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.”

Which might somewhat explain the impossible trials each one of us must pass through. Unless we are first weary and heavy-laden, there is no invitation into Christ’s blessed soul rest. The things we see, the things that are happening, rip our soul apart. Only then, we are ready for healing rest.