Come Find Rest For Your Soul

Jun 3

Rest. It’s something that everyone needs, and yet, to many in this modern age, real, true rest can often feel distant, just out of our grasp. Can we truly find the rest we seek?

I have the privilege of living just outside of New York City, and at least in the United States, there is no city quite like it. The multiplicity of cultures, food, history, fashion, finance, architecture, and entertainment can keep one engaged for a lifetime. In this truly global city with over 700 dialects spoken, New York has a diversity of beauty that is hard to find. And yet, with all its alleyways teeming with life, and behind all the dynamics that make this city special, it also carries with it an intensity. Overstimulation from all the city has to offer can steal not only your attention, but also your peace. The excessive honking, endless traffic jams, and seas of people rushing to work or play can make traveling anywhere a chore. The relentless pace of the city offers few dull moments, and can often leave its residents ironically living up to its motto in a negative way as a “city that never sleeps.”

Maybe you don't live in NYC, but you can also feel like the narrative above is relatable. The complexities of living in the present day are leaving people exhausted. There are a number of contributing factors. The current economy has many trudging through with long work days, unrealistic deadlines, and a struggle to stay ahead, or even have a job. The response here can be a relentless drive to become successful at all costs, to apathy or a sense of hopelessness about one's prospects and economic future. It’s not surprising, then, that the majority of Millennials (77%) and Gen Z-ers (72%) report experiencing at least one symptom of burnout, such as exhaustion or feeling unmotivated (Deloitte Survey).

Technology available to us every moment of the day has not eased our nerves either (Ibid). While it does have its benefits and with more connectedness than anytime in human history, the rise of the smartphone in 2007 came with a price. A recent study has shown that smartphones have greatly affected sleep quality, increased “anxiety,” increased “stress” (Front Public Health). And it is not just the “Blue light” of our devices that keeps us up at night (BMC Psychiatry). The apps on our phones are governed by algorithms that feed us content that polarizes others, or leaves us wanting more. Our social media feeds have become an endless comparison game, with influencers or even friends showing their best life, whether it’s vacationing in Turks & Caicos, or in their parenting skills, careers, or the perfect relationship that will fulfill your every longing.

The subliminal message here? If you just work hard enough, do more, or are better at X, you too, can rest from your toil and finally arrive. But the truth is, we often compare ourselves with a standard that doesn’t exist, and therefore never arrive. Instead of relaxing, scrolling fosters a restless mentality, whether it’s the endless swiping on dating apps, politically charged anger at our leaders or neighbors, sadness at the state of our world, or the picture-perfect image that makes us keenly aware of our inadequacies. None of these helps with the desire we all have to rest.

Spiritually speaking, this relentless posture has also made its way into our Christian walk by focusing more on a pious outer life, than the peaceful inner one. Being a good, faithful Christian can mean volunteering regularly, maintaining a good family life, tithing, avoiding sin, etc. Receiving affirmation for these, some might feel the pressure to project a perfect life, which manifests in our relationship with God and others by seeking to earn love and acceptance. And yet, if one seeks these things alone or for their own ends, the effect will crush the soul, and offer no lasting peace.

The Call to Rest is found in Jesus.

The message of this world is that you are never doing enough. Pressure to always be accomplishing more, or to be better is a cruel taskmaster that will lead to increasing anxiety and will drive one into the ground (footnote 5). But the foundational call of the Christian is refreshingly different, which is centered not in the what or how, but who. Jesus says in Matthew 11:

“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” (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV - emphasis added).

Only in a relationship with the person of Jesus can one find rest for their soul. He is the “Bread of Life” that satisfies our deepest desires, including love and acceptance (John 6:35). Jesus is the source of all that we long for, and our only true source. When we rely on our own efforts and labor to get ahead, or our own strength to be obedient, we in fact become what we were never meant to be: our own source. Whether it’s our own self, other people, or things, anything else being our source of life other than Jesus will fail, and leave us exhausted and unsatisfied every time. Jesus alone is capable of being our God, and our rest (Koessler).

The Call to Rest is the Call to Trust

Why is this so? And why do we resist Him and His rest? I believe the answer is connected to trust. Earlier in Matthew 11, we see Jesus speaking about those who were not able to see Jesus for who he was. His cousins and even John the Baptist were struggling to believe He was their Messiah and Lord. Then Jesus shares that the Father has hidden these truths from the wise, and revealed them to children (Matthew 11:25-26). It is in this childlike faith that Jesus beacons his followers to find their rest in Him (Matthew 18:3). A child easily rests in the arms of their parents because that child trusts them. Similarly, we are called to become Children of God, who trust in our gentle, humble Father that knows our need and weakness, and place our past, present, and future in His loving hands (1 John 3:1).

Saying No

Part of a lack of rest can involve our inability to set proper boundaries in our lives. In their New York Times Best Seller Boundaries, Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend have helped many reclaim the parameters of their own lives by learning what you are truly responsible for, and what is outside of your responsibility. Cloud and Townsend state, “Boundaries define us. They define what is me, and what is not me. A boundary shows me where I end and someone else begins, leading me to a sense of ownership” (Cloud and Townsend, 31). The result of living with such boundaries gives one a sense of “freedom,” to take responsibility for one’s life, and say yes to certain things, and no to others. And in this context, boundaries aid in proper physical and spiritual rest. Practically, this means reducing screen time, limits in the workplace, or the activities that fill our days, so that one can say yes to the good things in life, such as rest, relationships, and time with our Lord.

Saying Yes: Spiritual Rhythms of Rest

You may have read this, and wonder - well, what do I do about this? There are a few spiritual rhythms that I have found helpful in finding the rest needed in this business of life. First, the daily rhythm of encounters with the source of all rest: Christ. If one is hungry, one does not just look at bread, or think about it. But bread is instead consumed, enjoyed, and satisfies the hungry. So it should be with Christ. Jesus is a person, and one should encounter Him daily and one’s source, the Bread of Life. Secondly is the importance of the Sabbath day. As Christ says, “Sabbath was made for man,” but instead of keeping it so closely, the modern believer is more tempted to disregard it entirely (Mark 2:27). There are obvious benefits of physical rest and precious time with loved ones. But in addition to these, Sabbath is one day a week where all kinds of striving should cease, a letting go of all attempts to control outcomes in life, and acknowledging God as Lord of all and in all. Lastly, if you have the capacity, try a quarterly or monthly rhythm of a personal retreat with God. An intentional period of rest and replenishment with the Lord for 4 hours, 8, or 24 hrs. My seminary professor, Dr. Rob Reimer, would state that aside from daily time with God, personal retreats were the most transformative spiritual rhythm he has incorporated, as these allow God more time and therefore more access into your life. To be at rest in God is to be at peace with God. I encourage you to commit to finding ways of inviting God’s peace into your life, to transform your view of productivity and rest, putting God’s priorities at the center.

References:

Deloitte Global 2026 Gen Z & Millennial Survey. https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/issues/work/genz-millennial-survey.html

“Smartphone addiction, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and stress among medical students” - Front Public Health. 2023 Sep 6;11:1252371

“The association between bedtime smartphone use and anxiety symptoms.” BMC Psychiatry. 2025 May 26;25:545. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12107847/

“The Radical Pursuit of Rest,”John Koessler. May 1, 2019 Broadcast Talks, John Koessler. https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/the-radical-pursuit-of-rest/

Obed Bazikian

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