Lord, Rest Within My Heart

“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” // Matthew 8:19-20

I needed to be out of my new apartment in two days. The company I was renting from had let someone else book the place where I was living, despite the fact that I had sent multiple messages over the previous month stating my intent to renew. I had received no response from them until the last minute when they told me I needed to move out. It was their mistake. They admitted it was their mistake, and yet they still did nothing to help me. Alone and unfamiliar in this new, big city, I had to pack up and be completely unsettled yet again. I had no idea where to go or where I would find a place to rest my head.

The pilgrimage of life can feel deeply unsettling. Circumstances can shake our sense of grounding and make us question if there is any place we belong. It is comforting to know that Jesus understands our unrest and also experienced this in His earthly life.

Eventually, I found a new place to settle, but not without significant stress and used-up patience. With fervent prayers, some decisive action and vulnerably accepting help from new friends in the local Catholic community, God resolved the situation and brought me to a place that was an even better fit.

We need to remember that we are made for Heaven. Our experience on earth is a journey, a path forward towards our true end of eternal happiness. Ultimately God is our home, the place where we belong.

How can you come home to God, even during experiences of chaos and unrest? And perhaps, in your prayer today you could allow Jesus to find a place to rest His head within your heart. Rest in Him as He rests in you. This kind of contemplative prayer can offer you great peace.

God, thank You for being my home and place of rest even in the unsettling experiences of my life. Be my strength and stronghold. Guide me, Lord. Come and dwell always in my heart. Amen.

We are made for Heaven. // Mary Catherine Craige Click to tweet

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