Resting Together
by Ellen Clodfelter
My husband, Scott, and I have two wonderful teenage boys. Though they bring us joy and love, they can also be a source of frustration and stress. They both just turned 18 and graduated high school. So, Scott and I are entering a new stage in our lives when we might again have some time alone together.
We decided to celebrate their graduation by going on a Caribbean cruise together, just the two of us. We did several excursions, like snorkeling, exploring a cavern, and getting a massage on the beach. But my favorite moments were when we simply rested together. We spent time talking while we walked together on the beach, sitting side by side on the pool deck reading a book, and my favorite was taking a nap in the afternoon before dinner.
We turned off our phones. We didn’t look at our email or calendars. We turned off all notifications. We left our to-do lists, dirty dishes, and laundry at home. We could just be together and rest.
God loves it when we spend time with him worshipping Him or listening to a sermon at church. But I think He enjoys it the most when just the two of us are quiet together - when I talk to Him during prayer and when He speaks to me through His Bible and the Holy Spirit. The world is a very loud place and the only way we are going to be able to hear Him is if we are in a quiet place with Him.
There are many times in Bible where Jesus withdrew from people, the crowds, and all His ministry demands. In Mark 1:35, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” He took this time away from everything to be alone with His Father.
This past weekend e2 Women had a special ladies’ retreat. We spent time eating together, worshipping together, and learning from Laura Dingman, the retreat facilitator. But there was this very special hour when we all went to different places in or outside the building and found a place to sit down. This hour was spent in quiet rest with God. We spent time praying, self-reflecting, and renewing our relationship with God.
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
The word REST begins with the letters RE which is often a prefix meaning “again and again.” Rest with God isn’t supposed to be done only once, we need to rest again and again with Him. We need to retreat away from people to be able to rest with Jesus. When we do this, we can rekindle our faith, reflect on the love of Jesus, remember what He has done for us, respond to his love, rely on Him, and be renewed. We need to repeat the cycle again and again and rest together with Him.
