Come for relief

We're in the last month of the school year here. That's something I'm still getting used to (i.e. it happening in May), even though David's been working at an American-style international school for most of the last 16 years now, and we've had students there since our nearly-22 year-old son transferred there in Grade 3. But, even though May may still seem a little odd to be “the end of the year”, my body's telling me it's ready for a break. The weather is gradually heading into warmer weather, which also tells me that summer holidays are on the horizon (though today I'm wearing tracksuit pants, a singlet, and jumper/sweater).

One of my geraniums I love to look at while
I’m cleaning my teeth!

We’re looking forward to July, when we have our annual holiday, but there’s a little way to go until we get there.

So this passage seems fitting for now (continuing my "Come" series):

"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" (Matt. 11:28-30 The Message).

Have you read this version of this passage? It definitely gives a different slant on it. Yes, I'm tired and worn out. I'm not sure that I'm "burned out on religion", but the invitation to come is very attractive.

Here's the ESV version:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The idea of taking a yoke upon you seems strange in this version, but I think that this would have probably made more sense to Jesus' first audience. I've heard it explained as being like Jesus inviting us to take his hand, that he will walk with us each step of the way. Bound together with a yoke, cattle can't go anywhere separately, they are bound together, and share the burden of work. Maybe even stronger than taking Jesus' hand, what about imagining his arm going around your shoulder and him walking hip-to-hip with you?

Pair this image with the words that Peter wrote:

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7 NIV).

I love this image and often use it when I'm praying with others: asking that God would help us cast our burdens on his shoulders and that he would free us from the heavy weights that we brought to the meeting. 

In the first passage, Jesus says, learn from me, walk with me. One of the Biblical images that brought Jesus even more into focus for me as a young teenager was that of shepherd. I'd grown up at church, I knew a lot about the Bible, but I couldn't remember having that metaphor shown to me so strongly until it was the theme of a small summer camp I went to. 

BibleGateway says “shepherd” is used 118 times in the NIV. Of course not all those instances are using the metaphor for God, but there's a lot, if you go looking. Psalm 23 is probably the most famous, but also Isaiah 40:11, Zechariah 9:16, and of course the John 10:11 where Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd." You don't get much clearer than that.''

The book this blog series was inspirted by, Come for Closer" by Jane Rubietta, asks in the chapter devoted to this Matthew 11 passage: what are your burdens? 

"It is other people's expectations? Your own superhuman job description for yourself? Perfection? . . . Maybe your burden is the need to have a constant output of service and doings, always involved, running things, helping out, your finger in every pie . . . Though we may be unaware of our motives, winning others' approval and knowing they like us or need us keeps us working, keeps us doing, keeps us stretched far beyond our normal capacity." p. 81, 82.

She suggests other burdens too: fear, worry, regret, loss, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness.

What's been my burdens recently? I think probably fear and worry. Loss, is definitely in the mix. I think I do have a tendency to look to other's approval too, in some areas.

I don't think I'm stretched beyond my normal capacity in general, but at times in the last months my "normal capacity" has been reduced by various events. Those circumstances have certainly exhausted me. But let's not lose sight of the fact that we're human, we get tired, and there's nothing wrong with that. Taking rest is a natural part of life, indeed something that God has built into us and our world. 

But we make things worse when we don't trust God to carry our burdens. I think that's a constant challenge for me, probably for most Christians. We get so full of our own abilities that we think we can handle it all, and we also forget how trustworthy God is, so we take up the burden of worry about things and trying to solve them ourselves, rather than entrusting them to him.

I have been pondering this for a bit and wrote most of it yesterday. Today’s been full of meetings and out-of-office errands. But in two separate interactions the 1 Peter verse I mentioned above came up. It’s worth me sitting up and taking notice of. So as we head into a weekend, will you join me in “casting your anxiety on him who cares for you”? Let’s be open to receiving all God has for us: including a peace that surpasses all human understanding.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV)