REST!

I was coming home from clinic the other day when I spotted this sight. Off St. Joseph Street, that runs through the campus of Dallas Seminary. Yup, a hammock! Strung between two trees by the side of the road, on one side of Chafer Chapel.

And there was a guy in it. Sleeping. A seminary student.

I suppose it is the season. No, I didn't mean the balmy and bright 75°F we've been enjoying here. As they used to say in Old English:

Sumer is icumen in,
Lhude sing cuccu!
Groweþ sed and bloweþ med
And springþ þe wde nu,
Sing cuccu!

Summer has come in,
Loudly sing, Cuckoo!
The seed grows and the meadow blooms
And the wood springs anew,
Sing, Cuckoo!

No, I didn't mean the "cuckoo!"-singing weather. By "season" I meant, "end-of-semester."

Our hardworking students have been driven even harder by us, professors. They are at the end of their tether. Final examinations commence this week. Things are hectic. Graduation is nigh.

Yup, I understand the hammock. Right by the roadside!

There was some envy in my glance. I stopped and took a picture. Wistfully. Wishing I could be in a hammock, too.

I've been working hard! Grading, grading, and more grading. Sermons, sermons, and more sermons. A plethora of papers. A cornucopia of reading reports. A bonanza of emails. All waiting to be tackled, read, assessed, graded, tabulated, reported. Work!

I need a hammock. Rest!

"I will feed My flock

and I will lead them to rest,"

declares the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 34:15

Yup, that's what I need.

"Come to Me, all who are

weary and heavy-laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you

and learn from Me,

for I am gentle and

humble in heart,

and you will find rest

for your souls.

For My yoke is easy

and My burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30

For here we are, restless and weary, tired and worn out. Living in a broken world, broken ourselves.

O God, You are my God;

I shall seek You earnestly;

My soul thirsts for You,

my flesh yearns for You,

In a dry and weary land

where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1

Life ain't easy. The stresses are many. The strains overwhelming.

I am weary with my crying;

my throat is parched;

My eyes fail

while I wait for my God.
Psalm 69:3

But this is a God who doesn't need rest.

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Everlasting God,

the LORD, the Creator

of the ends of the earth

Does not become weary or tired.

His understanding is inscrutable.
Isaiah 40:28

He's awake even when we fall into a tired stupor.

He who keeps you

will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 121:3-4

So we can trust Him with everything …

… casting all your anxiety on Him,

because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

His promises are secure!

And He said,

"My presence shall go with you,

and I will give you rest."
Exodus 33:14

And we rest.

Rest in the LORD

and wait patiently for Him. 
 Psalm 37:7

For it's all under control-His control. And He cares. For you and for me.

Though youths grow weary and tired,

and vigorous young men stumble badly,
yet those who wait for the LORD

will gain new strength.

They will mount up

with wings like eagles,

they will run

and not get tired,

they will walk

and not become weary.
Isaiah 40:30-31

Yeah, go for that hammock.