Good Like a Medicine

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’”
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”

– Hebrews 4:1-4

I mentioned recently that I had been so encouraged at women’s Bible study at church, and one of the high points of Debi’s message that morning to us was such a comfort to me. Our study is the book of Hebrews. Tuesday we discussed the rest mentioned in chapters three and four, and at one point Debi spoke to us about learning from the unbelief of God’s children in Scripture. The unbelief in our hearts can range from not trusting God to provide something He has explicitly promised, not trusting that His will is best for us, not trusting that He can forgive, not trusting that He will sustain or that He is not enough, or just not trusting Him period. Ultimately these kinds of dormant unbelieving thoughts can reveal that we do not have faith in God at all. That is scary but so true, and I know there have been so many times (daily!) characterized by my unbelief that I would not want to discuss them.

Debi stopped and asked, “Why do you think this passage mentions God resting from His works?”

“Why did God rest from His works?”

Hmmm, wow, I really don’t think I had ever thought about that one very much. Why was it? Debi pondered with us several possibilities before saying to us, “It was not because He was tired and needed to rest. God rested because there was nothing else left to do.”

I’m not sure what Debi said for the next five minutes. My mind bounded off like a rabbit on a trail. I was thinking about my life at home with the kids and with my husband. I was thinking about all of my “Martha moments,” and how I, like most moms, feel the constant surge of urgent tasks that “just need to be done.” My mind proceeded to compare my heart with a heart of rest, and they were starting to seem very, very different.

After the message we broke into smaller groups. I shared with my group that my husband Eric really sets an example of this at home for me. He doesn’t push himself to utter exhaustion; he doesn’t burn the candle at both ends. When his work is finished, he can be found “just being.” “Imagine that! People actually do that!” I said. I am not like that at all! I am always doing “something.” Many times it is important, but other times I’m just doing something to be doing something. I find it hard to settle.

I need more rest in my life. I need to be like Christ, who sat down at the right hand of God. I need to sit at the feet of Jesus and “just be.” I need to stop trying to be super mommy and super wife and realize that God is enough and He is in control. I believe, Lord; help my unbelief!