Matthew 11:30 “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
I am struggling today. I have been unemployed a long time, and some emotional suffering has resulted. There have been several times in the past few weeks where I have cried after coming up empty in my job search. Fortunately I turned to God in prayer after those times and gained hope.
Thus I struggled to begin this piece this morning. Struggling to write is rare for me. And being a bit worn out, I then spilled grapefruit juice all over my desk. I even got some on my Bible. Thus there was a big cleanup job involving paper towels and a blow dryer. Here after lunch, I carry on with writing, because this very day, I need reassurance myself regarding this statement that the burden of Jesus Christ is light.
I know the world does not give rest. During one point in the pandemic I was reading too much news on the Internet, and I wore myself out. Reading about the political situation in the U.S. the last few years has been draining. And now there is a tragic war going on with Russia attacking Ukraine, and that has made me sad. And all those events are less stressful than personal challenges which continue year after year. And honestly, often church stuff does not give me rest.
YET I have experienced God giving me rest. I now think of one such time. In 2018, I took two Christian Formation classes at Denver Seminary. One assignment required a six hour solitude retreat. Frankly, the assignment seemed a bit burdensome there in the midst of a semester where I was overloaded with academic work. Yet I made a prudent decision to arrange with a pastor to reserve a church all to myself for one Tuesday in November.
The result: After six hours in that church, I was refreshed. Granted when the six hours were over, I was happy to go home. And granted, at my age I desire a balanced approach to doing my Scripture pondering, my praying, and my singing by doing such every day, yet in a comfortable period of time. Yet when I got home, I was invigorated.
The reason: Though I did things during that “solitude retreat” such as ponder Scripture, pray, and journal, I felt God’s only requirement for me was to rest. As I began that six hour period in that empty church, I had this great realization that God was not asking me to do anything.
Has there been an occasion when you were worn out from something, and spending some time with God brought rest?
After such a challenging time the past two months, I emphasize that I am grateful for people who read my blog, and whoever you may be, I say, “THANK YOU.” I prayed for a special blessing for you!
Your brother-in-Christ,
Hunter
