I’ve been thinking about the Fourth Commandment as it relates to rest. The first chapter of Genesis notes that God rested in the completeness of His work on the seventh day of creation. It reminds me of the heavenly peace that I feel after achieving a long-sought-after goal.
The book of Revelation describes another vision of completeness and rest in the New Jerusalem, which is also referred to as the city that “lieth foursquare” (see Rev. 21:2, 16). Mary Baker Eddy wrote about the four equal sides of the city as four foundational points of the kingdom of God (see Science and Health, pp. 574–577). Jesus said that this kingdom is already within us (see Luke 17:21). It is the revelatory light and reflection of God’s allness.
A figurative journey around the “walls” of that boundless kingdom, in my own experience, has brought the fulfillment of my innermost desires and the healing of physical challenges. The north wall faces the North Star—God’s Word of Life, Truth, and Love—and represents our ultimate attraction to God’s goodness. The east wall points to the star of Bethlehem, the promise of the Christ to reveal the nature of God and His immediate fathering and mothering of each individual. The south wall includes the cross and Christianity. Christ Jesus’ ministry is the paramount example of divine Love meeting every human need, to exchange material selfhood for spiritual identity.
