It is nearly summer for some colleges and schools, and that means vacation time. 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.
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.”
The traffic is stopped, the sun is scorching, and the sky is a deep blue.
How hard it is to keep working and going when it seems that everyone else is on vacation. But don’t worry. Our time will come. Our current focus on work will bear fruit later.
How do we rest without a vacation? The secret is in relationships. Jesus and God the Father had an 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.
How do we rest?
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 discover who we truly are in Him.
And we do not have to walk and live each day alone. His Holy Spirit walks with us, giving us the power to do all God has shown us. And for those days when we don’t want to anymore? The Spirit of God groans in prayer on our behalf, interceding for us and empowering us to desire to walk with Him again.
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.”
