When I was a kid, I used to have this amazing hideaway that I could closet myself in and read books or play with toys. 

It was literally my closet. 

In that space, I visited other worlds and characters and was able to make up my own stories with my toys. 

It was my way of resting from the world and all the things I had to do.  

God made us to have fun in life; to play hard and work hard, sometimes we need to stop and rest. 

I don't mean taking a nap. I mean resting your heart and mind from things going on in your life, especially hard things.

What are some things that make you tired? What are some of your favorite ways to take a break from them? 

There are many ways to rest, like finding a quiet place and reading a book or playing with toys, but the best way to find rest is to spend time with God. He made us to be with him and find rest in him. 

In the Bible, it says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”  (Matthew 11:28).

And in Isaiah 40:31, it says,

“They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Imagine being able to soar like an eagle! When an eagle flies, it can't just use its powerful wings to soar, although they are powerful. The eagle soars on the wind. 

It flies by resting on the power of the wind, which can keep the eagle high in the sky for hours and hours without it having to land. 

When we spend time with God and rest upon his power, we too can soar on that power for far longer than on our own strength! When we rest in him, he provides the strength we need to face even hard things in our lives.

 

Written and illustrated by Bryan Rogers, youth pastor at Montavilla Church in Oregon and design manager for Compassion USA.