My husband and I are early risers. We've never gotten up past 7am - unless we're sick - and we're rarely to bed past 10. Weekday mornings Dave is up at 4:30am and I'm up at 5:30. Even on Sunday mornings when we'll be off to church by 9, we're still up at 6, preparing to go out and plant a few things that didn't get in the garden, taking care of animals, fence lines or other chores, before coming in to get ready for church.
As I was making the bed this morning, Matthew 11:28 popped into my head:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Every so often it seems like it might be fun to sleep in (of course when I do, I end up feeling like I've wasted my whole day and it's no fun in the end!). At any rate, I was recalling this verse wryly, thinking about the concept of sleeping in instead of getting up and working in the garden. This verse isn't about physical rest, though.
In this verse, Jesus is telling us that though our emotional burdens may be heavy, leaning on him - on the faith that there is more to life than physical labor and emotional turmoil - will give our souls rest; calm, peace.
In fact, the next verses say exactly that:
Matthew 11:29-30: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. When we feel burdened - when friends have let us down, when we're running out of money before month, when we're caring for an ailing family member, when our children are hurting or far from us - there's rest from the mental weariness emotions can cause.
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Every so often it seems like it might be fun to sleep in (of course when I do, I end up feeling like I've wasted my whole day and it's no fun in the end!). At any rate, I was recalling this verse wryly, thinking about the concept of sleeping in instead of getting up and working in the garden. This verse isn't about physical rest, though.
In this verse, Jesus is telling us that though our emotional burdens may be heavy, leaning on him - on the faith that there is more to life than physical labor and emotional turmoil - will give our souls rest; calm, peace.
In fact, the next verses say exactly that:
Matthew 11:29-30: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. When we feel burdened - when friends have let us down, when we're running out of money before month, when we're caring for an ailing family member, when our children are hurting or far from us - there's rest from the mental weariness emotions can cause.
We have only but to call on the name of Jesus and ask him to take our burden away. Just like it helps to talk to an old friend, talking to the one who knows everything about you and your feelings - knowing he's shared the same state of mind while here on earth - is like a bandaid for the soul.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for your comment. This blog is moderated by the author. Your comment will be reviewed and may or may not be posted by the author.