One of the most challenging aspects in this day and age comes from the ever-increasing demands to our lives. Like no generation before us, we face a towering list of things to do, which seem to be indispensable for the most basic living standard. The constant toiling for the financial security that would assure a normal and comfortable life in the twenty-first century turns out to be most often a mirage which is impossible to reach no matter how hard we try. 

We feel that we must achieve much in just about any area. So, desperate for success and approval, we watch what we eat, we exercise, we study, we buy things, and we work hard in order to be a well fit and successful member of our society – someone who others can admire. And this eats up all of our time and energy. Instead of reaching the glittering oasis in the distance, we crawl on the hot sand, thirsty and deflated of energy. We are exhausted and burned-out. We desperately need rest. 

The common thing to do when feeling drained is to stop straining and change settings. Go somewhere for a few days where it is quiet, be surrounded by God’s beautiful creation, sleep a lot and you will feel recharged. Often this is a functional recipe, and it does the trick for a while, but sometimes even this fails. You check all the boxes and find that you are still sapped. Your mind continues to twist and turn about a million issues. You can’t get off the hamster wheel because guilt won’t allow you. 

Letting go for a while, even at a mountain cottage in the midst of breathtaking scenery- where I am writing from now – feels like failure, like waisted opportunities to catch up on my never ending to do list, to be productive. All this while I know that I so desperately need rest. Why can’t I let go? 

Because, yet again, I gave into the foolishness of trying to accomplish more than I need to, and that too on my own steam. And when I ran out of it, I tried the usual self-help strategy people turn to when they are out of steam.  

When we get to the point that we are running on fumes, we know that it is time to rest, so we go on vacations with the hope to recharge. However, the best we can achieve this way is to rest the body that has been brought to exhaustion by a busy life. But deep down we are not rested. We still carry a heavy burden.

The mental, emotional, and spiritual factors which are the real cause of our exhaustion cannot be solved even with the most calming vacation experience. This is a burden only God can remove. Christ lovingly invites us with these words:

“Come to me, all you 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28-30).

True rest is found with God only, but we must come. Abandoning all foolish attempts of self-sufficiency, we need to confess: “Lord, I come. I repent and surrender. Will you give me the rest I so desperately need? I want to take your yoke instead – the one that is easy and light.” When we choose to let him be the shepherd, “He makes [us] lie down in green pastures, he leads [us] beside quiet waters, he refreshes [our souls]. He guides [us] along the right paths” (Ps 23:2-3).

Going on vacations where you can escape the stress of everyday life is good and changing your lifestyle by reducing the items on your to do list is helpful, but unless you stop trying to manage your own life you will never find rest. Only when you repent of your attempts at self-sufficiency, when you surrender to the one who can give rest will you find your soul recharged and no longer under a heavy burden.