Eighth Gift of Christmas – Rest

In all the hurry towards Christmas, it is easy for us to forget to rest for a moment at the manger. But He patiently lingered the unhurried nine months in the waiting room of Mary’s womb. Shepherds were the first to know as they rested with their flocks. Then Jesus was born and quietly grew up in the tiny village of Nazareth. He didn’t burst forth with proclamations of greatness but rather in the back of Joseph’s carpenter shop. He had brothers and sisters with whom He had to share a straw mattress on the floor and what simple meals were put before them. Never do we hear of a complaint, or detect an attitude of frustration. Jesus simply waited for the day when His work would begin and rested in the place where God had placed Him. It was there in Nazareth that He learned to give thanks for bread and fish. In the ordinary circumstances of His quiet life He learned how to wash feet, celebrate weddings and how to handle wood and nails. The same God who in Christ rested in the boat in the storm has also invited us to come and rest our souls in Him!  

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 Matthew 11:29