Finding True Rest in Life
How Do I Find True Meaning and Rest in Life When Nothing Satisfies Me?
Have you ever found yourself standing in front of the fridge late at night?
It's not even that you're really hungry. You're just standing there. The door is open, the house is quiet, the lights are off. That weird little light bulb in the back of the refrigerator becomes as bright as the sun all of a sudden. The cool air of the fridge is rolling and hitting your face. And you're just staring into the fridge like it's supposed to tell you something.
You see all those random leftovers, the half-empty jar of salsa, the cheese that's probably not good anymore, the fruit that's been shoved to the back of the fridge. And you just wait and stare for a moment, like maybe, just maybe, what you're really hungry for will magically appear.
And if we're honest, in those moments, what we're looking for, what we would claim to be hungry for, it's not there. It's never there. It's never what we want inside that fridge. But we keep looking anyway.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, whether it's your spouse from another room or maybe it's just your conscience finally speaking out a little bit louder, you hear the question that you've been asking yourself the whole time: "What am I looking for?"
It's a simple question, but at that moment, it's deep and profound. And it's actually kind of hard to answer because deep down we know that it's not necessarily about the fridge. It's about something else.
"The world tells us that if we get the job, build the family, buy the house, put the right toys in the garage, take the right trips and vacations, and sprinkle a little faith in on the side, we'll find what we're looking for."
— David Watson
Why Do We All Search for Meaning and Purpose in Our Daily Lives?
While this may be a simple illustration, it gets to something deeper that we all understand. It's relatable to each and every one of us because it's an inevitable part of our human condition that we're all looking for something.
And that something's not just food. It's not just experience, it's not just life. It's something deeper than that. We're all looking for something that brings meaning to our life and rest to our soul.
We all feel the effects of this search in our daily lives. This is why our calendars are so full. This is why we hustle and put in the extra hours at work or pick up side gigs. This is why we chase the perfect relationship, or the next vacation, or the next project on our home.
In our world today, it's so easy to succumb to the lie and fall into the belief that there's a formula to find exactly what we're looking for - to find meaning for our life and rest for our soul. The world tells us that if we get the job, build the family, buy the house, put the right toys in the garage, take the right trips and vacations, and sprinkle a little faith in on the side, we'll find what we're looking for.
What Did King Solomon Discover When He Searched for Happiness in Wealth and Pleasure?
The Bible tells a story about King Solomon, the richest man who ever lived, who set out on this very same search. In the book of Ecclesiastes, he details his journey to discover if there is anything worth living for "under the sun."
Solomon chased everything the world would tell us to chase. He started with what we might call his "party season" - throwing epic barbecues. At first, he was thrilled, but soon the parties weren't satisfying anymore.
So he turned to pleasure, gathering 300 wives and 700 concubines. He even wrote a book about the beauty of marital intimacy. But still, he found no lasting meaning or rest.
Next, Solomon built his career as a "real estate shark," buying and building vineyards and ranches, creating beautiful gardens, and constructing the most magnificent temple in Israel's history. He became the "CEO of CEOs," but at the end of that pursuit, he realized this didn't work either.
Finally, he gave himself to leisure - the retirement of all retirements, complete with massages and fine wine from his own vineyard. And at the end of it all, he concluded his search by writing:
"Meaningless! Meaningless! All is meaningless... There is nothing under the sun that satisfies the hearts of men." (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
By the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon advises us to "fear God and keep his commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13), because that's the only thing in life worth chasing after.
How Can I Stop Looking for Fulfillment in Things and Find It in Relationships Instead?
The truth this story reveals is profound: the answer to our search isn't found in something, but in someone. It's not found in more stuff, better circumstances, or even religion. It's not found in tradition or self-improvement.
Those things promise rest, but they leave us restless. They promise purpose, but they leave us feeling burned out and exhausted. They're just dead gods and lifeless idols that we all continue to chase, hoping they'll finally give us what we're looking for.
Sometimes they do satisfy - but just like Solomon experienced, it's only for a season, only for a moment. It's fleeting and then it fades. It's only a temporary satisfaction.
Can Jesus Really Provide the Meaning and Rest I'm Searching For?
The answer we've been chasing that brings meaning to our life and rest to our soul is found in a person. Not just any person - not in our spouse, not in our closest friend, not in coworkers - but in Jesus.
Jesus didn't come just to prove a point. He didn't come to be something we add to our life along with all the other things. He didn't come to be our backup plan or our weekend routine. He came to be the one we're all searching for, who brings not just life, but true life; not just rest, but true rest - rest and life that are lasting, eternal, and satisfy our deepest needs and desires.
Jesus bridged the gap for us to come into relationship with God, addressing the ultimate need of every person. When we recognize that we're separated from God by our sin, and that Jesus, through His perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrection, made a way back to God, He becomes more than just the answer to our search. He becomes our life and our rest.
What Did Jesus Actually Say About Finding True Life and Rest?
Jesus consistently taught that He is the source of true life and rest:
"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." (John 1:4)
"I am the bread of life." (John 6:35)
"I am the resurrection and the life." (John 11:25)
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
Jesus promised not a life filled with valuable material things, but a life defined by a personal relationship with Him. He said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Why Do I Keep Looking for Happiness in Places That Never Satisfy Me?
So why do we stand in front of the proverbial fridge of life, looking for something that satisfies our deepest need, when there is only one answer?
That's the beauty of the Gospel. While you and I were still sinners, while we were enemies of God looking in other directions for meaning and rest, Jesus saw each of us. He was so moved with compassion that He came to do something about it.
He stepped down from His throne in heaven, took on human flesh, and lived the perfect life that you and I could never live. In humility, He took on the pain of the cross. He died the death that we deserved to die to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law. And He rose again, sealing what He said He came to do: "to seek and save the lost" and make a way for us to have a right relationship with God.
How Do I Know What I'm Really Looking For in Life?
So I ask you the same question: What are you looking for? Are you looking for the living among the dead?
What's the thing you've been chasing that you hope will finally bring peace and rest to your life? What's the thing that you think will make you feel like your life finally matters? What are you trying to find in success, relationships, comfort, or even religion that your soul is still aching for?
The truth is, you're not looking for a feeling. You're not just looking for a fix. You're looking for someone. And that someone is Jesus, who wants to give you life and give it abundantly through a personal relationship with Him.
Maybe you've been working hard on being a "morally good person." Maybe you've added Jesus to your life, and your life still seems restless, without hope, without a future. Maybe it's time to drop the "spices" – the things we carry to try to make life work – and surrender every element of our life to Jesus, remembering that He came to give life abundantly.
Or maybe you see all this as nonsense, a fairy tale. If so, I challenge you to seek answers. Talk to someone who has experienced the transformation Jesus brings. Come to Jesus and invite Him into your doubt or disbelief. Ask Him your tough questions. He's not scared of them. He's not a distant God; He's near and personal, patient and gentle, and "He draws near to those who draw near to Him" (James 4:8).
Jesus didn't come to just make good people more good or to make bad people good. He came to bring dead people back to life – something we all desperately need. He offers true life and true rest to all who come to Him.
Stop staring into the fridge. Jesus is the bread of life. He's the living water. He's the rest for the weary. He's the life for the dead and hope for the lost. He's come to give life and give it abundantly, and He wants to give that life to each and every one of us through a personal relationship with Him.
Did this article resonate with you? It was inspired by a powerful sermon delivered by Pastor David Watson. To dive deeper into this message and hear more about finding true meaning and rest in Jesus, we encourage you to listen to the full sermon. Pastor David’s insightful teaching will help you understand how to stop looking for the living among the dead and start experiencing the abundant life Jesus offers. Check out the video on our TEACHING page.
Check out this article if you find yourself in need of more inspiration for your life.