Busyness can become a way of life that being still before God is a huge struggle. Even while we may be aware of how important it is to grow in faith and enjoy a genuine relationship with God rather than just going to church, we put little time and energy into doing so. Our real problem is a lack of priority, not time or energy.

Jesus taught his disciples the importance of rest.

They obviously have a lot to do and do not have enough time to do everything. However, Jesus emphasised that their hectic schedules should not prevent them from both enjoying and being enjoyed by God. It is by yielding and resting everything in Christ that they became most productive and fruitful for the kingdom.

Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

We must learn to rest in the midst of our restless world precisely because we are too painfully aware of how busy, stressed out, and anxious we are about many things.

Rest is both counterintuitive and counterculture. Busyness is not the problem, but it breeds a false sense of self-sufficiency that our success and accomplishments are the results of our own hard work and effort, rather than God's grace and favour. Because of this, even if we invest a lot of time and effort into our work, we must admit that God Himself has blessed us so that we might enjoy the fruits of our labour. But if work is negatively affecting our lives by hurting our relationships, families, and faith, we need to reconsider and re-imagine God's plan for work and rest.

By calling us to come and rest in Him, Jesus is inviting us to build and root our identity and security in Him. Then two things happen to us. We are set free from working and serving with the wrong mindset or motivation and we are set free into working and serving with God, enabling Him to realise His purpose for us and in us.