Matthew 11:28-30
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Last week, my husband and I took Timothy and his little sister, Zola, to the park to play and have a “picnic.” If you want to learn to live freely and lightly, spend a couple of hours sliding down a slide with toddlers. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace by swinging while holding a little child on your lap. Get away from the worries and cares of your day and see even the tiniest stick or pine cone through their eyes. And rest? They know about that, too. After about the 90th trip down the slide, Timmy looked up and said, “Let’s rest a minute!”
At the end of the day, we were all tired… but also renewed. Yes, we all slept well that night… worn out from our physical exertion. But we set any burdens and worries aside and just enjoyed the sunshine and the simplicity of sharing love and joy with two little ones we love beyond description.
Have you ever stopped and considered that in terms of our Christian faith, we are the toddlers, and Jesus is the parent? But unlike the little children, who hopefully have no burdens or worries at such a young age, our lives are riddled with heaviness. We really are tired and worn out… exhausted from work and relationships and trying to juggle all the balls that make up our life. We are even weary of religion and the demands of the church… to conform to a certain set of guidelines and beliefs… to serve here or pay there or deal with all kinds of people who have their own agendas.
At the end of the day, don’t you just want to “rest a minute?” The GOOD NEWS is that you can… anytime, anywhere! You can call out to Jesus, and He will open His arms, scoop you up, and snuggle you to His chest. You can rest and relax…content and free in the safety He offers. And the more you take refuge with Jesus… the more you keep company with Him… the lighter your burdens and worries will become. You will feel more like a kid again… trusting your Heavenly Father to handle the big stuff for you.
Don’t you want this? Don’t you long to feel free and unencumbered… to know that Someone bigger than you is in control… perfectly managing your life so that you are able to focus on whatever God has designed you for? It’s time to leave our cares at the feet of Jesus. Aren’t you ready? Won’t you “slide down the slide” one last time… and rest?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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