MATTHEW 11:28-29

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

TO PONDER:

When it comes to life, we all have ways of doing things. Our rules of life. How we fold the sheets. How we hang up our clothes. How we go about cleaning the house. How we mow the lawns. How we stack the dishwasher. How we unload the groceries. Chances are you don't think about it much, until someone does it different from you! So are you a one-trip uploader or a multi-trip un-loader? Do you load far more on your arms that you should, grabbing hold of so many bags that some of the handles cut into your arms, that you struggle to close the boot, that you have to awkwardly navigate your way into the kitchen, only to put it down and exhale a breath of relief when the load is removed? Do you find yourself calling to the nearest person, "Can you come and grab this before it drops and break'?

I wonder whether many of us are one-trip carriers when it comes to our way of life spiritually. We carry too much on our own. We try to deal with all the things that life loads up on us, on our own. When life is a struggle, when life is hurting, we just think to ourselves, 'I can do this...I can make it a little further'.

Jesus never meant us to do life that way. He has a way of life that is really quite simple. Jesus says come to him, Take his yoke. Learn from him, And find rest in him. That's discipleship...it's a way of life that leads to an abundance of joy. Are you willing to learn a new way of life? Are you willing to come...today...to Jesus? To leave your self-reliant, I do this myself, efforts. To let Jesus carry the baggage of sin you hold that will do permanent damage? To hand over the weight of shame, guilt, disappointment, struggle that is painful and leaving marks on your soul and weighing you down so much that it is making your journey awkward and unbearable?

A new way of life begins just by coming to Jesus. Jesus says it's not complicated. Come + take + learn = a rest you never thought possible. That's his promise and invitation to you today.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, I need a new way of doing things, of living. Help me hear your invitation and to come to you today, for I long for the rest you alone can give. Amen.