In my house, I have a favorite chair. It’s the chair I sit in when I feel cold, lonely, sad, happy, tired, or just plain weary. It is my resting place. Do you have a favorite resting place, a place that you go when you need comfort or solitude? As a child, my resting place was in the presence of my grandmother. I would sit by her bedside as a teenager, and we would talk late at night when all the lights were out until my mom would come and tell us both to go to sleep. Talking with my grandmother always seemed to make me feel better about life.

As a student in college, I would go for walks around the park on campus. The park was closed to cars and was the perfect place to go for an invigorating walk or for a stroll with a friend, but my favorite kind of walk was the quiet walk I would take when life felt like a heavy burden on my shoulders. Maybe school work was piling up, and I needed to clear my head. Maybe I was having trouble with relationships and needed to sort out my feelings. Maybe I just needed time to gather my thoughts and to pray. I would walk to a special place in the park by a little "waterfall" which was really just a wall that water spilled over going from one part of the river to another. The sound of the falling water would soothe my troubled spirit and wash away the cares that burdened my mind. I could think clearly, sort out my problems, and pray for God’s guidance and wisdom.

We all need a favorite resting place, but as the Psalmist points out, it doesn’t have to be a geographical location. Although some places are more conducive to clear thoughts and peaceful feelings than others, our true resting place is in the Lord who made heaven, earth and all that exists. Only when we’re resting in God’s care and presence do we feel truly at home. Just like the sound of a splashing waterfall clears our minds, the water of Baptism calms our souls and gives us peace as we rest in the love of God. We find true solace and peace only in the presence of the Lord as we trust and rest in the one who existed before the world began.

What burdens are weighing you down today? With what do you need God’s help today?