Rest and A Clean Conscience

Rest....I'm continuing to chew on that one word. Throughout the Bible God calls His people to live life to the fullest within the boundaries of His Word and in healthy balance. When I think of the number one killer of rest it has to be anxiety and stress.

Guilty...whenever we feel guilty we are anxious, and there is no rest nor peace of mind. True guilt is covered in Jesus Christ and through His blood sacrifice on the Cross. But there are times when false guilt erodes our peace and rest. Setting up unrealistic expectations on ourselves and others can generate destructive guilt.

Recently I spent some time with a young person who has fallen into some serious sin. Listening to her I realized she has only faced part of her sin. As I prayed I sensed she cannot look at all of it; the seriousness of her sin could overwhelm her now. The court system will accommodate that chore if she doesn't come out of denial soon. As she told me of her day to day life I realized she has no peace. She never lets down from her anxiety to know rest.

Today as I reflect on "rest" I want to come clean in the presence of God. I want to see, confess and repent from anything in my life that is short of what God desires. Empathizing with this young lady showed me how serious my sins can be in robbing me of the "rest" Jesus Christ secured for me in the Cross. "Missing the mark" is the clearest definition of New Testament "sin." Can any of us believe we never miss the mark?

Got any ideas on sin and guilt in relation to rest and peace of mind? I'd love to hear your viewpoint.