Leisure or Rest?

While reading a book yesterday on the importance of ordering the inner life, I began to reflect upon the differences between leisure and rest.  From a worldly perspective, they could almost appear to be synonyms.  As I compared and contrasted the two, I was amazed at the vast differences between them.  Jesus promises in Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  Rest is not the absence of work, even as peace is not the absence of war.  Jesus bids us to take His yoke upon ourselves.  A yoke is attached to a plow and allows the ox to do work he could not naturally perform.  The strength of an ox when yoked to a plow can aid a farmer to sow and reap much grain.

When we are fatigued physically or spiritually we often seek rest through the ceasing of effort or activities.  Yet if we do not seek rest in the person of Jesus, it will not satisfy the need we have for rest.  Rest is simply the inner man seeking to enter the presence of the Living God and abiding there.  Leisure, while perfectly fine in itself, is no substitute for the rest Christ has given.  If we seek rest through the leisure of long weekends, holidays, the neglect of chores or spiritual duties, we find ourselves duped by a cruel substitute:  we remain weary and things remain undone.

Leisure activities can be very costly in terms of money, time, and mental activity.  Yet even the most expensive and exciting hobbies and pastimes become boring and dull.  The most appealing diversions don't satisfy us the way we thought or hoped they would.  Leisure is focused on the external realm, the relaxation of the body or the checking-out of the mind.  You can try to escape in movies or fiction novels, therapeutic massages and spa treatments and still be completely wound inside - because you know at some point the game will be over, the weekend will end, and Monday morning starts early.  The excitement of the senses is a big part of leisure.  But the senses are never satisfied:  eyes never grow tired of seeing, ears never grow weary of hearing, and stomachs are always looking to be filled.

Contrast leisure with rest found in Christ.  It is not without cost, but those who have experienced the presence of God know it is priceless.  Instead of being discovered though external means, true rest is found when we intentionally focus on seeking God and listening for Him.  We find in Christ a satisfaction and refreshment for the soul not found in worldly pursuits or endeavors.  It is exciting to seek God's will and to receive direction from Him.  God never ceases to amaze!  Rest is not found through the emptying of our minds, but in purposely cultivating a relationship with God with heart, mind, and soul.  Whether we work long hours or are unemployed, we can be at rest.  When the storms of life hit with full-force, we can rest in Christ and the comfort He provides.  We know He will never leave or forsake us.  Making Christ our chief pursuit allows us to rest in His rest.

There is great value in a Sabbath rest.  When we are willing to put down our hammers and saws, God will built us up.  If we are only about advancing our careers, following the dictates of our hearts, or substituting leisure for rest, burnout is not far away.  The Pharisees made keeping the Sabbath all about externals, but God had another plan altogether:  He desires that our souls will purposefully enter into His rest through Jesus Christ.  Jesus promises in Matthew 11:29, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."  It is this labour of love which brings rest to our souls.

We enter into this rest not through working to do so, but through belief.  Consider Hebrews 3:18-4:2:  "And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? ¹⁹ So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. ¹ Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. ² For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it."  Jesus has given us rest, and we are called to enter in by faith.  Leisure and ease provides rest for our bodies, but not for our souls.  Let us enter into the rest God provides by coming to Christ and abiding in Him through faith.  In Him we find rest for our souls.