The Road Less-Traveled By

          Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.  For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger,
 ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
          And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” 
         Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 4:1-7)

          To be blunt, I don’t understand the “rest” business in this passage. I understand what rest is, but I don’t comprehend what makes the rest described here different from the rest of rest. That’s OK. What I do understand is that somehow, there’s a rest into which we can enter. It reminds me of Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
          I want this rest but resting has been an issue. You can’t rest when you’re velocitized. I’m afraid that if I stop, I’ll never move again. I have the same response that I have shown to “peace.” Peace is a lack of drama. It’s floating on  peaceful water. No ups, no downs – a flat line. And what happens when you’ve flatlined? You’ve died. I’m not saying that thought progression is right or good, just that it is. I suspect that rest may be hard work, at least at first. 
          There’s another challenge to this. I suspect that this rest doesn’t involve spending a weekend in Heaven, or even in a beautiful cabin retreat with mountains out your back door, and a nice creek at your front door, air conditioning, a fire place, and a cabin-wide stereo system. Add whatever need to be added to your dream escape. But that’s the point. I don’t think entering His rest is an escape. 
          In fact, I suspect that entering His rest may involve defeating the sin in my life like Israel was called to remove the sinful nations from the Promised Land. I don’ t know what sins are in your life, but I’d be willing to bet that there are some that look like unbeatable giants to you. That’s my problem, too. “There are giants in the land.” But the only way to enter His rest is through the giants.
          I won’t say, “It’s OK, they’re already beaten.” It’s true, but “already beaten” doesn’t mean “no sweat.” I will say that our God is all-powerful. Robert Frost said that he had taken the road less-traveled by, and that had made all the difference. The road to God’s rest is the road less-traveled by, but more importantly, the road to God’s rest is the one He will travel with us, and who we travel with makes more of a difference than which road we choose.