I have
a confession to make: I have been tired this week, maybe for the last two. My energy has been down; my creativity has
been down; my inertia has been down. I have
been sluggish in getting projects completed.
The work that I have put out the last week or so has not been my
best. In short, I am in a funk. And, based on conversations with colleagues
and students, it seems that I am not alone.
Life
has a way of wearing us down, of sapping our energy to the point that we lament
how tired we are. We eat correctly, we
get the right amount of sleep, we take multivitamins, we exercise, we keep our
minds active, and yet we find ourselves struggling to make it through the day. There are a lot of reasons for why weariness
comes upon us, yet that is not the problem.
The problem is how we work through the tiredness. How do we recharge or rejuvenate?
I enjoy
the film Fearless with Jet Li because
it is not simply a martial arts film. It
is a story about a fighter focused on revenge who became a warrior focused on serenity. Li plays Huo Yuanjia, the founder of
the Jin Wu Sports Federation. In one
scene of the film, while he is living in a quiet farming village, Huo watches
the villagers stop what they are doing and stand stoically. A breeze passes through the village, and all
of the people are refreshed by the breeze.
It takes Huo awhile to understand the significance of stopping to feel
the breeze. When he does, it realizes
the spiritually cleansing and enriching experience of allowing the moment to
wash over him.
Naturally,
there is a connection between this moment in the film and our lives as
Christians. The connection between a
breeze, the Spirit of God, and rest is seen throughout Scripture, starting with
Creation and ending with Revelation. There
are several well-known passages that deal with rest and renewal. However, the one that I want to share with
you is from Hebrews 4. There, the
unknown disciple writes, “So there is a special rest still waiting for the
people of God. For all who enter into
God’s rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating
the world. Let us do our best to enter
that place of rest” (4:9-11a, NLT).
Scholars will note that there are both present and future connotations
to the use of “rest” in this passage. Yes,
death and eternal life will be “rest” for people of faith.
Yet,
there is also the concept of finding “rest” in our day-to-day lives here. As Frances Taylor Gench writes, “It is a
present reality in our lives when, in the midst of whatever befalls us in our
journey of faith, we experience the peace, assurance, and confidence that comes
from knowing that our lives are secure in the purposes and promises of
God. That sense of security and
well-being is also a foretaste of the eternal rest we will one day enjoy in
fullness.”[1] So, today, if you are feeling a little tired,
a little sluggish, I encourage you to take a moment or two and “rest” in the
presence of God. Go outside, walk
around, and wait for a breeze. When it
comes, stand still, allow the breeze to wash over you, and rest with God.
[1]Francis Taylor
Gench, Hebrews and James, Westminster
Bible Companion (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996), 31.
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