Rest

Enos 1

v. 27  And I soon go to the place of my ^arest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall ^brest. And I rejoice in the day when my ^cmortal shall put on ^dimmortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the ^emansions of my Father. Amen.  

I love how this chapter ends.  The chapter begins with Enos's  "wrestle" which he had before God.  He prayed all day and into the night for forgiveness of his sins, and then he heard a voice that told him his sins were forgiven.  Then he continued to pray first for his own people, and then for his enemies. 

After this great experience, he spent the rest of his days laboring for the Lord.  And it wasn't easy.   The people were quick to do evil, hard-hearted.  It took a lot of work, a lot of preaching and testifying to keep them turned to God.  He must have been weary after so many years.  His rest was well-deserved.

I know what it means to yearn for rest.  My illness has taken rest away from me.  I never feel rested, not after many hours of sleep at night, not after my nap during the day.  I wake up unrested, I pass my days unrested, a constant weariness is in my bones.  This is the nature of the disease.  And so this verse speaks deeply to my heart.  Rest.  It is my greatest desire.

But through my suffering, I do find rest in my Savior.  Not a physical rest, but a spiritual and emotional rest.  I love reading the scriptures in the morning.  It lifts me from my morning fog, it helps me over the despair of facing another difficult day.  My burdens do not weigh so heavily upon me.  I am lighter.  I feel loved.  I feel encouraged.

There are many labors, many fights we must fight in this life.  I'm grateful for Enos's testimony of what is waiting for us at the end of it all, if we fight the good fight and stay true. 

A Closer Look

2 Nephi 31:20  "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, with a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

I've chosen this scripture for memorization this week, and for a deeper look.  The words I've highlighted are words that stick out to me, inviting me to look further and understand better.

Steadfastness -- The footnote references the topical guide topics commitment, dedication, perseverance, steadfastness, and walking with God.  It is interesting to me that waking with God was included.  That's a bit of imagery I want to think more about today.  Am I walking with God?  Or am I walking away from Him?  Again, the reminder to be guided by the Spirit plays an important part.

The dictionary defines steadfast as:

fixed in direction; steadily directed: a steadfast gaze.

firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc., as a person: a steadfast friend.

unwavering, as resolution, faith, adherence, etc.

firmly established, as an institution or a state of affairs.

firmly fixed in place or position.

 

I like to think that I am a steadfast friend to the Lord.  That I am steadily directed.  I'm old enough to be firmly established; I've been a Mormon for 37 years now.  I ought to know what I'm doing by now, right?  I do not waver.

 

Perfect brightness of hope -- Again, it helps to turn to the dictionary.

Perfect:

conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type.

excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement.

exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose.

entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings

accurate, exact, or correct in every detail.

thorough; complete; utter.

pure or unmixed

unqualified; absolute.

expert; accomplished; proficient.

 

So, my brightness of hope is exactly fitting to my needs and purposes.   It is accurate, thorough, complete.  It is pure, not mixed with any hint of despair.

 

I must have a love of God and ALL men, not just the ones I get along with.

 

Feasting --   "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Matt 5:6

 

Endure --  

to continue to exist; last.

to support adverse force or influence of any kind; suffer without yielding; suffer patiently.

 

So, I must first of all continue to exist, and I must outlast my adversary.  I must suffer patiently without yielding.

 

Eternal life --  "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." John 17:3

 

Whew.  That's a lot for today.  Now back to more pondering.