Read this if you want to rest…

We live in the age of I’m busy.

You would think that with so much technology and advancements in financial mechanisms that we would be more able to find freedom within our schedule to do the things that we want.

But, when you ask people, they typically will say they are busier than ever. Or, at the very least, they feel as if their schedule is full.

And so many people are tired. Even with all the fancy beds and air conditioned rooms.

More than those things, we find ourselves in a “meaning” crisis. There are more deaths of despair than at any other time in history.

What people are searching for is a place of rest, and I am not talking about a new type of mattress. Rather, people are seeking a type of rest for their souls. Like a cool drink of water after a long day in the sun, this rest rejuvenates the joy of being. It is a kind of rest that brings satisfaction for today and a hope for tomorrow. It is a rest the settles the anxious mind and grounds the longing heart.

Where in the world do we find a rest like that?

The story of Ruth

I was reminded of this idea of rest while rereading the biblical story of Ruth.

Ruth is a lady who marries into the family of Naomi. In a terrible turn of events, her father-in-law, brother-in-law, and her husband all die. At the time when Ruth lived, it was not safe to be a widow or single woman without the protection of a husband or household. Ruth, Naomi, and her sister-in-law Orpah were in danger.

Naomi recognized this and encouraged Orpah and Ruth to leave Naomi to go each to their own homeland and try to find refuge. In the case of Ruth and Orpah, there was a good chance they could be remarried.

It was in being remarried that Naomi claims Ruth and Orpah could find rest (see Ruth 1:9).

Orpah agrees and leaves. But in a moment that feels a bit heroic and unpredictable, Ruth stays, giving us a few memorable lines of Scripture, telling Naomi:

This is fierce loyalty to a mother-in-law. This is fierce loyalty to a friend. This is a type of vow that feels more like a marriage than a committed friendship. And yet, maybe this reveals to us how much more highly we should consider friendship in general.

The point of this post, however, is to determine what rest truly is.

In Naomi and Orpah’s mind, rest is to be found in the security of finding another husband. These three women have faced many trials, and the future is unpredictable. Rest is to be found in human wisdom, finding something predictable, and doing what is in the best interest of the individual. It is to try to avoid difficulty and instead pursue safety.

This is not the path Ruth takes.

Ruth chooses friendship over her own security. The well-being of someone she loved over her own safety. She chooses the harder route because, in doing so, she is able to pursue life with the person she loves and wants to care for.

Real rest is not found in avoiding difficulty, but by taking it on.

Perhaps one of the best quotes I have heard embodying this idea comes from the fastest marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge:

This quote cuts to the heart of what Ruth’s story reveals about rest. True rest isn’t the absence of struggle or the pursuit of comfort, rather rest is the freedom that comes with living on purpose with discipline and love. Ruth made a choice that, though wasn’t easy, would lead to a deeper kind of rest.

I believe this is the rest so many people are searching for today. In a world that glorifies busyness and productivity and gadgets and vacations and more, Ruth gives us a different kind of picture. Many of the things the world has on offer is temporary, giving you rest for the moment. The rest your soul needs is not found in convenience but in connection, not in pleasure but in purpose, and not in avoiding fear but finding faith.

A Call to Real Rest

Take a moment and ask yourself, What is keeping me from finding rest?

I ask you to consider Ruth’s example. Choose one relationship to start investing in deeply. Or take on one hard thing and fight to accomplish it. Or one challenge where you need to take on a little faith.

Let me know what you choose so I can cheer you on! Blessings my friends.

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It would help me a lot. Thanks for reading! 

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