Here is the big idea, the Rest Rhythm we focus on at our Rest Stop before continuing

The Messianic Pilgrimage includes a Rest Stop, a chance to look back at the whole journey in celebration and look forward towards the final vision.

The Messiah is no slave driver. He has our well-being in mind as he leads us on our pilgrimage. He does not push any of us to our breaking point. If we ever do hit our breaking point, we missed his guidance somewhere. We either pushed ourselves too far, or we let other voices drown out his.

If we stay alert for his voice during the Rest Stop we get genuine relaxation because he tells us that success does not depend on pushing ourselves to our limits. We just stick with the Messiah and his timetable. When he says, ‘Rest,’ we rest and that is that.

During our rest we hear him telling us to look back at the phases of the pilgrimage he has already brought us through. That is energising and can be fun. We get reminded of how amazing he is as a guide. We laugh about things that seemed scary at the time. We get overwhelmed with gratitude that we made it this far and full of confidence for the next part of the journey.

Here is the other half of the big idea of the Rest Stop:

An enemy keeps trying to prevent or disturb our rest, whispering lies in our ears.

What lies? ‘The great life is the full life lived 24/7, never bored, never missing out on anything.’

24/7 only works for machines and convenience stores; it ruins human beings. None of us are built for it. God knew that if left to self-manage our lives, many of us would try to live 24/7. We would work ourselves into a death spiral driven by greed, financial anxiety, desire to prove our worth, or escapism from other parts of life and we would pull others down with us.

Like work, the all-pervasive fear of missing out can consume us night and day so that we never get to savour anything. We grab a bite before rushing over to the next table to see what we might be missing there. In the process, we miss even the little joy of the bite we took.

But if we let the Messiah direct us, we find ourselves free from 24/7 and all its life-sucking consequences. In fact, it’s our job to be free of them. The pilgrimage is supposed to enrich the lives of the people who join it wholeheartedly. One of the ways it does this is to give our lives a rhythm, including the pauses.

If we don’t get the benefit of those pauses, if we are part of the Messiah’s pilgrim band but remain half-dead, stressed out, worn out, who will join the band? They will take one look at us and shut their ears to the Messiah’s call to join him.

That’s why God doesn’t just allow us to rest from the pilgrimage; he commands it. So be a good pilgrim. Sit down and rest. Savour it!

Bottom line of the big idea:

We ‘see ourselves in Christ’ as blessed with a satisfying rest, not driven to ceaseless activity laced with strands of inadequacy and guilt.

In sync with Jesus, we are connected to rest and peace. Like all the other phases of the pilgrimage, the Rest Stop is a gift, an unearned blessing from God’s grace.

When we sync with the Messiah as people who get to rest, we realise we already have what the whole world is looking for! They will ask how we got it. The glow of our inner peace as we rest will attract people to the Messiah as powerfully as anything else we will ever do.

So rest with all your might, and enjoy it with all your heart.And by the way, don’t over zealously think, ‘How can I use this rest to attract more people to the Messiah?’ That spoils it. It turns your rest into a work project. The truly attractive thing is just to rest while you are resting. If you can do that, the Messiah has you right where he wants you.