Life can be hard and hectic sometimes. We may find ourselves exhausted, not just physically but also spiritually. In this study, we will learn how to look to Christ alone for the rest that our souls crave.
The last couple of years, I’ve kind of been at a low point in my life emotionally and spiritually. I often found myself irritable with my kids, resentful toward my husband, angry, bitter. There was a tremendous lack of joy in my life. There was a weariness that I just couldn’t shake. I knew I did not want to continue this way, but I wasn’t really sure how to fix it. I tried going to the doctor, but she just gave me vitamins. I tried “self-care,” taking time for myself like going shopping. That was nice, but the kids were still fighting when I got home, and the housework was still waiting. Neither of those things fixed my problem.
What I came to realize is that my problem went deeper. It wasn’t something that could be fixed by physical rest or relaxation because my weariness was spiritual. I had this fatigue deep in my soul. And because my problem was spiritual, I knew I needed to find a spiritual solution. So, I set out to discover how to find the spiritual rest that I so desperately needed, and this study is the culmination of that.
Resources:
I’m teaching this study to the women at my church. The materials here are the PDF downloads of my personal notes and the handouts that we’re using. I’m not currently editing them, so there may be personal references and questions geared to a class setting. They can still be used in an individual context. Eventually I hope to create blog posts from the material. We meet every other Wednesday, and the new material will be posted the following day.
Each lesson will contain the notes from the study that you can read. There will also be a discussion guide that you can fill out as you read, as well as a handout called “Putting It into Practice,” which will help you apply what you learn. The discussion guide has a blank version and a version complete with answers.
I recommend printing the material and compiling it into a notebook. You can find a notebook cover page, title page, and outline here.
Introduction:
Searching for Rest (notes)
Lesson One:
Rest for the Weary (notes)
Lesson Two:
Rest for the Hungry (notes)
Finding Christ Charts (Please note that I adapted these charts from the book Hungry: Learning to Feed Your Soul with Christ. You can find more information about the book, as well as free resources here.)
Lesson Three:
Rest for the Distracted (notes)
The Beauty of God’s Word Handout
Lesson Four:
Rest for the Worried (notes)
Lesson Five:
Rest for the Depressed (notes)
Lesson Six:
I decided at the last minute to change the topic for our final lesson. Instead of discussing confession and repentance, as the outline indicates, we did a review of the previous lessons. Then we looked at how all the things we talked about (Scripture reading, meditation, prayer, and worship) should work together throughout the day so that we can find rest continually in Christ. Below are the notes from that lesson. I also gave a worksheet designed to use with your Scripture reading to pull out something to meditate on, pray about, and spur you to worship.
Putting It All Together (notes)
Kayla
I love this study so much, so much needed too. Thank you!