Matthew 11:27-30 Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.“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.”It is nearly summer for some colleges and schools. These first few weeks of June always seem the longest to those still in school. The freeways become clogged with summer vacationers. The stores are busy. People seem to be everywhere.How hard it is to keep working and keep going when it seems that everyone else is vacationing. But don’t worry. Our time will come. Our concentration on work now will bear fruit later.How do we rest without a vacation? The secret is in relationships. Jesus and the Father God had intimate knowledge of one another. They knew the plan. They knew the outcome. We don’t have to struggle to figure it out. Jesus is ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen. And we know that it will be a kind and gentle conversation.So, how do we go on? Our lives seem too busy and too overwhelming. How do we rest? It takes trust in Jesus. Trust that he will show us how to walk and live each day. We concentrate on him and we will find not only him but ourselves. We will find who we really are in him.Listen to Jesus. He says, “Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” And to make it even sweeter, “I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”Rest in Jesus today. He is the real vacation.
