Jesus: Sleep well, Christians, I will give you rest

Since I have been retired, the question I get asked the most is, “How do you like retirement?” My answer is simply, “It’s busier than I expected.”

It took me almost a year to get a proper balance between work and play. I got involved with too many activities so I had to cut some out.

That is a problem for most people today. We are always “on the go” with work, family obligations, and community life. We never stop to rest and recharge our batteries.

When I was growing up, the forecasters predicted that we would soon have a 35-hour workweek. That never happened. Today, the average American works 46 hours a week.

Doctors tell us that we are not getting enough sleep. Americans are sleeping 20 percent less than they did a century ago. The results of this have taken its toll on us in many ways. We are more stressed. We are more addicted to drugs, alcohol, food, etc. The lack of sleep causes 100,000 automobile accidents and 1,500 deaths every year.

Fatigued workers are responsible for many major industrial accidents. They include the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear power plant accidents. All this has had a detrimental effect on the physical, emotional and spiritual health of the individual, and has contributed to a decrease in family life, community involvement and care for the environment.

We have also lost the spirit of the Sabbath. The purpose of the commandment to “keep holy the Sabbath” was to give workers a day off to rest, to recharge their batteries and spend time with family and worshipping God.

When I was growing up, only a few stores were open on Sundays. Today, Sunday is almost no different from any other day. This has not been healthy for most Americans.

Jesus wants to help us. He invites us, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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)

In Jesus’ day, a yoke was used to tie two oxen together so they could pull a plow or a cart. Jesus is inviting us to be tied with him so we can deal with life difficulties together.

Jesus does not want us to sit back and do nothing and leave everything to him. He wants us to use our gifts and talents that God has given us to pull our share of the load. But he wants to help us.

Anthony deMello tells us a story about a man walking through the forest and notices a fox who had lost its legs. He wondered how it lived.

Then he saw a tiger come in with game in its mouth. The tiger had its fill and left the rest of the meat for the fox.

The next day God fed the fox by means of the same tiger. The man began to wonder at God’s greatness and said to himself, “I too will just rest in a corner will full trust in the Lord and he will prove me with all I need.”

He did this for many days but nothing happened. He was almost at death’s door when he heard a voice say, “O you who are in the path of error, open your eyes to the truth! Follow the example of the tiger and stop imitating the disabled fox.”

Jesus wants to work with us. But he also wants us to use our gifts and talents for ourselves and our community.