Finding Rest…
For as long as I can remember, the holidays have always been a very exciting time for me. I grew up loving Christmas and all the festivities around the holidays. The new clothes that we get to wear, the food we look forward to eating, but most exciting, the time we get to spend with family. However, the older I have grown, the holidays have brought about some sense of anxiety. I have spent quite some time trying to figure out why this could be.
Various reasons may have contributed to this. Holidays involve a lot of travel and activities that may be daunting to some extent. In my profession, this is usually the busiest time of the year, and a lot needs to get done. If you are anything like me, you may also be thinking about the things you haven’t achieved the whole year, or the to-do list that you didn’t get to complete.
Regardless of the reasons, it is important to remember that anxiety is not from God. At no point does God ever want us worrying about anything. Instead, He calls us to pray and surrender to Him rather than carry the burden ourselves (Philippians 4:6-7).
I am currently reading the book of Hebrews, and chapter 4 has been an anchor in this season. It speaks about the promised rest for God’s people. The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were close to giving up and returning to Judaism because of persecution. The author encouraged them to have faith and keep believing in God so they could enter His rest (Hebrews 4:1–3).
I came to realize that I can’t enter the rest God has for me unless I let go of all worry, release what I think ought to be, and choose to believe and have faith in God in order to enter His rest.
Things I am practically doing to enter rest. Feel free to incorporate these into your daily life.
- Prioritizing prayer – not only making sure I start and end my day with prayer, but also taking time in the middle of the day to pause and prioritize prayer.
- Letting go and trusting God – I am a big planner. I plan many things because I like things in order. I have come to the understanding that some things cannot be planned. When we choose to surrender to God, this also means surrendering plans and timelines and instead embracing God’s time and purposes.
- Focusing on praise and thanksgiving – Making it to this time of the year isn’t something to take lightly. God has been in the details from January till now, protecting us, providing, and keeping us. In hindsight, there is so much to be grateful for and so much to look forward to because God is always good.
With this in mind, may our focus be on Jesus.
What does rest look like in Jesus?
- Believing His word over every feeling and circumstance. God says that His word will not return void, but it will accomplish and prosper in the thing for which it was sent (Isaiah 55:11). This reminds me that even though the year is ending, God remains the same, He continues to be good, and His word remains the same.
- Faith in God, no matter what life throws at you. He says all things will work out for good. Faith that even when things don’t look good at the moment, they will turn out for good.
Friend, no matter how the year ends for you, be expectant and excited for the new year because God is faithful and always a good, good Father. Be expectant that God will blow your mind beyond what you can imagine or think. New Beginnings, new challenges, new wins with the same Faithful Father.
With this in mind, here’s my prayer for you:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Have a fantastic holiday season, see you back in 2026 with newness all around.
