I have a love/hate relationship with malls. When I go to the mall, I’m on a mission: I like to know exactly what I’m looking for so I spend the least amount of time in the mall as possible. I do this because nothing bores me more than the hustle and bustle of a busy shopping center. The other day I was on a mission but could not find what I was searching for. I spent hours looking but to no avail, so I decided to check one last store. As the escalator slowly carried me to my destination my hopes were dashed as the top floor came into view but not my object of desire. By this time I was too tired to go on. I was so discouraged and exhausted I wanted to collapse right there; but as I turned around in disappointment, my heart was lifted. In front of me was the most amazing bed I had ever seen! Right there at the top of the escalator! I didn’t care that everyone was watching; I didn’t care that it was probably not allowed; I didn’t care about my dignity. All I could think about was how great it would be to catch a few minutes of much-needed rest. I stepped forward and fell to the bed below me. This will feel so nice…SMACK. Oh, the pain. Realization hit me like a wooden box spring. Actually, it was exactly like that. The bed I had just thrown myself on was not so much a “bed” as a display of pillows and sheets arrayed across a mattress-less exhibit. I should have chosen the floor…I closed my eyes to the sound of muffled laughter around me.
Sometimes life can tire us out. We get caught up in so much busy activity that we constantly find ourselves at the end of our rope. We wear ourselves down as our schedules fill up. Life starts to become a list of tasks to complete rather than a journey with our Creator. We completely forget about God until we collapse out of weariness. Only then do we remember the promise Jesus gives in Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Life doesn’t have to be crazy. We don’t have to wait until we have lost our cool with our friends, neglected our family, or worn ourselves to the ground. Jesus offers rest for us today. I constantly have to take a step back and re-evaluate how busy I have made my life. Is this stuff God really wants me to do or am I going full-speed ahead without even knowing where I’m headed? Jesus can bring peace to our lives, so we can actually enjoy the race instead of just reaching the finish line.
Mike Blackaby is 25 years old and is the college and young adult pastor at First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, GA. Mike loves to play music, loves to snowboard, play hockey, and cheers for the Colorado Avalanche. He is terrified of spiders, but loves reading fantasy novels, watching movies, taking road trips, building camp fires, and will do any roller coaster if someone goes with him. You can contact him via Facebook.