“Come to me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

If you want rest, don’t sit down on a rock beside the trail of life. Keep hiking. Keep coming.

Rest is for those who come. It’s an ironic reality: you have to make an initial move before you find rest. The key, however, is to move purposely, not frantically – that is, move toward Jesus. Don’t move like a dog chasing its tail.

Rest is found when we come to Jesus. We do lots of coming – toward hard work, toward self-actualization, toward the happiness of financial gain, toward a fulfilling relationship, toward any number of spiritual practices.

But none of these comings result in rest.

What will it cost you to come to Jesus? In the Gospels we see people sacrificing much to come to Jesus. They travel miles. They give up their businesses. They donate all their money. They miss meals in order to hear the Teacher.

Ultimately, coming to Jesus will cost you your life – figuratively speaking. But what we lose is nothing compared to what we gain: Rest. Rest that is complete and irrevocable. Rest that encompasses forgiveness and eternal life. A forever rest that flows from the side of pierced Grace, not a temporary rest concocted from our own efforts.

Let’s make 2013 a year of coming to Jesus.