Looking for Rest
On September 3, 1992, my 27 year-old son was killed in a motorcycle accident while coming home from work.
He left behind a young wife, a 7 month-old daughter and a family shattered and broken. In the early days following the death of my son, my grief was unbearable. Many times, I confronted God asking “Why? Why? What good can ever come from this horrible tragedy?” A mother isn’t supposed to bury her child.
I was keeping a journal at the time. Two days after Allan’s funeral I wrote. ” I am amazed at the number of people who came out for the service. People from Allan’s work, all in their UPS trucks like a military parade, his friends, customers from businesses he delivered to and, of course our church family. All of them said that Allan was a wonderful young man, full of light and life, always with a smile. That’s the way they remembered him. That is the way I remember him, even now. Although my heartaches for him, I am reassured time and time again that he is in a most glorious place. I am so pleased with how the Lord has been with all of us at this very difficult time.”
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Years earlier a verse from the Bible had really stuck out to me. Matthew 11:28 says “Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” At the time I was struggling through failed businesses the loss of some people very close to me. I was very weary and burdened and I needed rest so I prayed a prayer like the one at the end of this article to accept Jesus as my Saviour. As I mourned my son, that verse gave me hope that even in this terrible situation I was not alone. God would give me rest again.
As time passed and I reflected back on the things that have happened in my life, little by little, I began to see my suffering in a different light. I slowly began to realize that while the ache of losing my son would never fully go away, I could comfort other people with the comfort that God had given me and tell them about the rest that He offers. I am encouraged by another verse, 2 Corinthians 4:8. It says, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed”.
Today my faith has survived through pain that I could not have imagined. Years after losing my son I know that the promise I read all those years ago is still true. God has given me rest. He has been my comfort and has given me a real purpose for living.
Now I work with FamilyLife, a non-profit group dedicated to making families stronger. I have the privilege of interacting with people on the phone who are hurting and struggling in their marriages and life in general. People need the love and security of having a relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ.
I encourage them to invest in the health and happiness of their family by attending a FamilyLife marriage conference, where they can learn God’s timeless principles for marriage. The testimonies of families who have been healed and put back together after attending a FamilyLife conference give me much hope and encouragement. They remind me to always be working on my relationship with my husband Chet so that we can have the marriage that God wants for us.
God has given me the family, love and security I’ve been looking for all my life through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He promises and an abundant life here on earth and eternal life with Him when I depart from here. He doesn’t promise that nothing bad will ever happen, but He promises that I will not be alone and He offers me rest.
Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?
Living with hope
If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
Is this the life for you?
If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.
