You Are Free by Rebekah Lyons

Week 2: Chapter 1 — Free to Rest

Read Chapter 1 of You Are Free. Primary passages: Matthew 11:28–30; Psalm 23.

In a culture that glorifies busyness, Rebekah's invitation to rest can feel almost countercultural — even suspicious. Come to these questions ready to examine why rest is so hard, and what it might actually look like.

Discussion Questions

7 questions

1.Rebekah draws a distinction between the rest the world offers (distraction, escape) and the rest Jesus offers ('rest for your souls,' Matthew 11:29). In your own words, what is the difference? Which kind have you been seeking most often?

2.She describes how the pressure to meet others' expectations can masquerade as virtue — it looks like faithfulness, service, or responsibility. Have you ever used busyness or people-pleasing as a kind of spiritual cover? What were you afraid might happen if you slowed down?

3.Jesus says, 'My yoke is easy and my burden is light.' What would need to be true about God for that to actually be believable? What image of God makes that promise feel untrustworthy?

4.Rebekah connects the inability to rest with a deeper issue: not trusting that God is truly in control. Where in your life do you find it hardest to release control? How does that lack of trust manifest practically — in your schedule, your relationships, your health?

5.She describes joy as something that comes not from achieving but from abiding — from staying connected to God rather than performing for Him. Has there been a season in your life when you experienced that kind of joy? What made it possible then, and what has crowded it out since?

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Closing Prayer

Full guide

Father, we confess that we have made rest an enemy and busyness a badge of honor. We have mistaken exhaustion for faithfulness and striving for devotion. Thank You that Your Son did not come to add to our burden but to carry it. We lay down right now the expectations — ours and others' — that have become yokes around our necks. Teach us what it means to abide in You, to stay close enough to hear Your heartbeat. Give us the courage to stop, to trust, and to receive the rest that only You can give. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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