A Recipe for Rest
How was your Thanksgiving? Where did you go? How did you travel there? Who did you spend it with? Were they surprised to see you? Did you cook anything? Was the food good? Were there leftovers? I like leftovers.
In 38 days, the ball will drop in New York City’s Times Square, heralding the dawn of a new year. However, before that celebration, we traditionally spend the last two months giving thanks and exchanging gifts. I look forward to this season because it customarily yields a heightened sense of good will, holiday cheer, and common courtesy. November is also the best month of the year. Plus, this time of year includes copious amounts of delicious food. This week, mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons gathered together at the table of Thanksgiving for a meal. But before the meal, someone had to cook. Someone put on an apron, pulled out pots, pans, utensils, and ingredients and threw down in the kitchen.
Was that someone you?
If the truth be told, advertisement commercials notwithstanding, this can be one of the most thankless times of year. As the year’s end rapidly approaches, individuals are reflecting on unfulfilled resolutions, engrossed in year-end projects, stressed out by final examinations, and already worried about December 2018! Some grieve the loss of loved ones. Thousands still need jobs. Some are as confused now as they were eleven months ago. In place of thankfulness, there is an enormous amount of restlessness. Restlessness is pumped into the public consciousness through news and media outlets. Everyday produces a reason to be restless. “In other news,” you can hear the well-dressed news anchor trumpet, “a state of unrest has settled in _____________.”
In a world plagued by heightened restlessness and filled with pervasive unrest, where can one find true rest? Solomon, the wise author of Proverbs, provides what I would like to call “A recipe for rest”:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:5-8
As you follow this recipe, expect and embrace God’s unexplainable peace (Philippians 4:6-8). He longs for you to find lasting rest in Him.