And You Will Find Rest
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few moments and allow yourself just to be. Go outside, if possible, and take a couple of deep breaths. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.
What if there was a way to touch peace every day and return to that feeling, so that you could live from a place of peace, with a soul at rest?
“Today, like every other day,
we wake up empty and frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the earth.”
- Rumi
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently,
as if it is the axis
on which the world earth revolves
— slowly, evenly, without
rushing toward the future;
live the actual moment.
Only this moment is life.”
- Thich Nhat Hahn
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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.
Food for Thought
When is the last time you felt peace?
When is the last time your mind, heart, and body were at rest?
I’ll ask it in a slightly different way: Who are you when your soul is at rest?
I recently heard a parable from Tibetan Buddhism about a Buddhist monk named Milarepa. Milarepa lived in a cave. One day, he went out to do his wash, and when he came back the cave was filled with demons. Milarepa tried everything to get rid of the demons. He tried to expel them with force. He tried to teach them the Dharma. But Milarepa’s attempts only made the demons multiply and become more raucous. Finally, Milarepa told the demons, “Well, I guess you’re here to stay… so, can I make you a cup of tea?” And then they all settled down and they sipped tea together.
What if, for a moment, we make Milarepa’s “demons” personal to our lives? Our caves, our places of rest, are sometimes taken over by stress, regret, exhaustion, cynicism, worry, sadness… the list goes on. Like Milarepa, we may try expelling those demons from our lives through sheer force of will, but it doesn’t work. It only wears us down. Perhaps we might instead learn from Milarepa, who finally accepts his reality with an act of spiritual practice and hospitality. “I guess you’re here to stay,” he tells the demons. “Can I make you a cup of tea?” The tea does not expel the demons from the cave. But with sipping tea, both Milarepa and the demons settle down.
Making and sipping tea is a spiritual practice for Milarepa the monk. Just making tea and being mindful about feeling it, smelling it, tasting it. I imagine Milarepa’s body, full of stress a moment ago, beginning to come into balance. His mind, racing with thoughts, begins to focus. His heart, full of discord, begins to feel compassion. His soul, restless, begins to rest.
Like Milarepa, the chaos of life sometimes takes over and we are left feeling worn down and empty; we are sometimes weary and heavy-burdened. And it is in times like this that Jesus invites us to seek a spiritual practice of rest. “Come to me,” Jesus says, “and you will find soul-rest.”
“Take my yoke upon you and learn the unforced rhythms of grace. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. And you will find rest for your souls.”
Jesus isn’t making any promises that if we come to him, then he’ll get rid of all our burdens, but Jesus does promise to be with us – to share our yoke – for some burdens are not meant to be carried alone.
“Come to me,” Jesus says, “and you will find rest.”
That is the promise. Not to take away all your problems. Not to expel the demons out of your cave. But to find rest for your soul.
There are a hundred ways to come to Jesus, and to find the rest that our souls deeply need.
Maybe you find rest when you go to Jesus in prayer, with thanksgivings and petitions. Maybe you find rest when you open yourself to Jesus as the friend of your soul. Perhaps the spiritual practice that connects you to God is gardening. Or maybe the beauty you love is to make art, draw, doodle, color, paint. Cultivate a spiritual practice that connects you to the goodness of your body, the goodness of the earth, and the goodness of God.
And if you are struggling or suffering today, please know this: you are worthy of rest.
Somewhere inside, the body remembers a feeling of balance, the mind remembers a sense of clarity, the heart remembers the spark of compassion, and the soul remembers rest.
You deserve to know soul-rest when you wake up in the morning, and soul-rest when you lay your head down at night. Soul-rest. Rest that restores you to yourself and to God.
“Come to me,” Jesus says, “and you will find rest.”
If you don’t have a daily practice to connect you to soul-rest, or as my mama says, “a daily quiet time,” and maybe you’re wondering what practices to try in your daily life – try this: Follow your joy. Listen to your desire. Tune into your sense of delight and pleasure.
Here’s a spiritual practice for you to try out: Listen, for a moment, to the sound of your breath, the sound of your soul, the sound of Spirit. Start by wiggling your body. Now find a comfortable position with your feet on the floor and, for a few moments, simply notice the sensations in your body of being grounded in the earth. Notice places of support and any bodily sensations that come up for you. For a few moments, breathe into those places of support. Slowly, draw your attention to your breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe at your own pace, noticing your breath, drawing nearer to God with each one. Then slowly begin bringing movement back into your body – wiggling your toes and working your way all the way up to your eyebrows. Feel the breath of life coursing through you.
For a printable version of today's reflection Click Here!
Blessing
Holy Breath of Life, we thank you for breath, and we ask for your rest.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Do you have a spiritual practice, or a routine that helps calm your stresses and find a place of inner peace?
How is your life feeling in this moment? Do things feel balanced or off-kilter?
What are some ways that you can encourage yourself and others to seek help and rest when feeling overwhelmed?
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Do you ever feel scared, anxious, or nervous about things? When these feelings arise, try taking some deep breaths in and out. You can close your eyes at the same time and try listening to your own breath. Sometimes it can be helpful to calm ourselves down.
How do you find moments of quiet in the day? What do you do when you need alone time, or quiet time? Do you like to nap? Do you like to read? Do you like to color? What are some quiet moment activities you enjoy?
Remembering the goodness around us can help us navigate difficult times. What are some good things you can remember and think about when you are going through a difficult time?
Meet Our Welcoming Voice!
Rev. Keith A. Menhinick is a pastoral theologian, Baptist minister, and trauma chaplain. He enjoys deep conversations and the active life — he’s most often found hiking, reading in the park, or hosting a fire pit hangout.
To hear more from Keith throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!
Here are Five Things to Remember When Setting Your Own Welcome Table!