I'll never forget a backpacking trip I took with my brother last year. We were hiking the Foothills Trail, and it was nothing short of exhausting. On Day 2 we hiked close to 15 miles, and we were both struggling to make it to the camp site. When we finally arrived, we collapsed on the ground and laid there for about 30 minutes. I think it's fair to say that that's the most tired I have ever been in my life. I was weary from the day's labors. When Jesus talked about rest as it was recorded in Matthew 11, it's easy to think that he meant physical rest for the physically weary. But that's not exactly what he was getting at. Jesus stepped into a religious system that was full of burden. Each person's responsibility was to earn God's good graces, but we all know what a dead end road that is! When Jesus invited people to himself for rest, he was inviting them into a new system – it was no longer about what you could do but the person in whom you would place your trust. With Jesus there was no more trying to live a life of perfection but trusting in what He was going to do on behalf of mankind. There is freedom in following Christ – freedom in knowing that we don't have to live up to the standards of an impossible religious system. After all, even the people who were the professional religious folks couldn't do it! What chance did the rest of the world have? Rest comes when we trust in what Jesus accomplished on the cross as the forgiveness for our sins. How rested are you?
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