Rest
Author
Milagros García Klibansky
Summary: Like David, we can acknowledge the sorrow of the soul and return to rest in God, remembering the good He has done for us. Nothing belongs to us: for a time, we steward what He places in our hands, and we must face our own departure or that of our loved ones, sustained by His promises. It is our responsibility to raise our children in the Word, but when they reach adulthood, they are accountable for their own actions; we cannot control or convert those we love. Nor should we blame ourselves because others do not feel pain as we do. Jesus knew sorrow and a lack of companionship in Gethsemane; we can teach, warn, and invite our loved ones, and rest in God.
When I read David through his Psalms, I marvel at the sincere faith in his heart. He says: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you troubled within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, my salvation and my God.”
(Psalm 43:5) Later, in Psalm 116:7: “Return to your rest, O my soul, for Jehovah has been good to you.”
David recognizes that his soul is cast down and sorrowful, but his rest is in the God of Israel. He recognizes all of God’s blessings in his life and therefore tells himself that he must rest in his Father’s arms.
When will we be able to do the same? How can we understand that nothing is ours, that everything has been placed in our hands as the stewards we are, and that the way we use the treasure God gives us is a sign of our faithfulness to Him? Everything comes into our lives and remains for a time, but we must prepare for our own departure or that of our loved ones by holding fast to God’s promises.
In Ezekiel 18:4 God says: “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine; the soul that sins, it shall die.”
This is the first time that blaming children for their parents’ attitudes, or vice versa, is ruled out.
We must raise our children in the Word of God, but when they reach adulthood, they are responsible for their own actions, and however much pain consumes us, we are not in control.
Even Jesus, in Gethsemane, asks His disciples to keep watch with Him for one hour, and what they do instead is fall fast asleep. Although they have been warned, their perception of what is coming is not the same as Jesus’, who says: “My soul is deeply sorrowful, even to death; stay here and keep watch” (Mark 14:34).
We do not perceive events in the same way as others, and we should not blame ourselves for that. Nor should we feel bad about reproaching our loved ones, especially our children, when they ignore us: “Then He came to His disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter: Could you not keep watch with me for one hour?” (Matthew 26:40–41) We cannot convert our relatives and friends, but we must instruct them, warn them, and invite them.
What could we experience that He has not experienced in His own flesh and spirit? That is why He had to become human: to know what it feels like when uprooting comes.