In the busyness of this season, I've found myself pondering the idea of rest. It feels like everything all must happen at once - finishing hundreds of pages of reading, researching and writing and studying, and finishing a big project at work - all while trying to "get in the Christmas spirit." In the midst of what can feel like chaos, I hear many comments like "I can't wait for Christmas break," or "my life is nuts, I can't wait until things calm down" or "I just need to rest."
So what is rest? As a strong introvert, I often associate rest with lots of quiet time and tea-drinking all by myself. I also will admit that I absolutely love watching TV, and find Netflix to be a great source of relaxation. My friends rest in different ways - listening to music, hanging out with one another, taking naps, etc.
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As I began to feel overwhelmed again by the seemingly endless to-do list, and the disappointment of a few less-than-awesome paper grades, I found myself feeling discouraged and frustrated, and wanting to just curl up in my bed and forget all about my responsibilities. But then I realized something.
Rest isn't something you do. True and real rest doesn't come from a physical act of doing (or not-doing) certain things. Rest isn't found in social media, television watching, even coffee with friends. To find true rest, we must look to our great Comforter and our Keeper, Jesus Christ.
This Advent season, I've been struck by the power of the incarnation. By the reality that the God of the universe would join us in this broken world, would be God With Us, and would ultimately save us from our sin. Jesus entered into this world to free us from its constraints - and in light of finals, that means freeing us from our academic success and failure too.
So I must find my rest in Him. What does this look like? This looks like a confident hope in Christ alone. Of course I will study hard, prioritize my academic work and write the best papers of my ability. It will mean that I'm so confident in Jesus' work that I care less about my own. What will this do? It means that I will also take time to soak up the goodness of the gospel reading Scripture before bed. I can take 10 extra minutes before bed to check-in with my stressed roommate. I don't complain about the exorbitant amount of work I have, because let's face it so does everyone else, and honestly in light of eternity our grades are so miniscule.
Rest isn't something we do because its not found in us. It's outside of our capabilities. Rest is found in Jesus alone - Jesus who is with us and for us and who loves us beyond comprehension.
