One More On Unrest

Friend: Christian, how are you?

Christian: Fine.

Friend: Right, but how are you?

Christian: Oh, yeah.  I am learning through confession, praying out my anxiety, and repentance to let my restless heart find its rest in God more.

Friend: Beautiful.

Christian: It really is.  I know it will take time, but I am learning.

Friend: He does tell us to strive to enter the rest.

Christian: I am striving, and I am gaining.  All by God's grace.

Friend: I'm glad to hear.  I do need to tell you that there is a degree of unrest that you will not overcome until the Day.

Christian: Thanks for the pep talk.

Friend:  Haha.  Yeah.  But it really is encouraging in one way.

Christian: Okay, how?

Friend:  Well, the rest we get now in Christ, which is real, is only the beginning.  It is only a shadow of what is coming.  It is like the first sunny day of spring, even though it starts snowing half-way through the day.

Christian: Okay.

Friend:  The real rest God promises is still coming.  Canaan was a picture of it.  It is the destination, the goal, the country for which you have been longing all your new life.

Christian: Heaven?

Friend: Yeah, the new heavens and the new earth.  The resurrection.  The great hope.

Christian: That is the goal.

Friend:  It is the goal and it is our home.  We are exiles, away from home, traveling.  We are ambassadors sent here from a future kingdom to establish outposts and offer citizenship to all through the blood of our king who will come to establish his kingdom.

Christian: That is a cool way to think of it.

Friend:  It is what the Bible says.  And since we are exiles and ambassadors, we have a longing for our home.  We are not fully at rest here.  When you are traveling you can get rest at a hotel, and it can be refreshing, but there is nothing like the rest you have when you finally get home.  

Christian:  So that is the restlessness that I will always have here?

Friend:  Yes.  But it is an expectant restlessness.  It is a restlessness that keeps you moving towards the rest.  We call it hope.  It reminds us of the perfect rest that is coming.

Christian:  Right, who hopes for what he sees?

Friend:  Exactly.  But we will see it eventually, so keep working on your restlessness by faith, and what remains will chase you home to the rest that is so perfect that no vacation, no weekend, no summer, no perfect night of sleep will seem to have ever had a hint of true rest in it by comparison.