Tuesday, May 20, 2014

“Rest For The Stressed”

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30  NASB

We live in a very tense, uptight and fast paced world filled with hurry and hassle.  A Tahoma, Washington newspaper carried the story of Tattoo the basset hound a while back. Tattoo didn’t intend to go for an evening run, but when his owner shut the dog’s leash in the car door and took off for a drive – with Tattoo still outside the vehicle, he had no choice. Motorcycle officer Terry Filbert noticed a passing vehicle with something dragging behind it. He commented that the poor basset hound was, “picking them up and putting them down as fast as he could.” He chased the car to a stop, and Tattoo was rescued. But not before the dog had reached a top speed of 25 miles per hour, falling down and rolling over several times. Too many of us are living our lives like Tattoo, picking them up and putting them down as fast as we can – rolling around & feeling dragged through life.

Time magazine noted that back in the 60’s, expert testimony was given to a Senate sub-committee on time management.  They predicted that advances in technology would radically change how many hours a week people worked.  They forecasted that the average American would be working 22 hours a week within 20 years.  “The great challenge,” the experts said, “would be figuring out what to do with all the excess time.”  Over 40 years later, after major advances in technology – how many of us are wondering what to do with all the excess time on our hands?

Our world has become the world of the Red Queen of Alice and Wonderland: “Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that.” 

How many of us feel like that? Let’s take a group quiz to see how many of us are being dragged through life. Fill in the blanks:

  • I’m ready to throw in the…
  • I’m at the end of my…
  • I’m just a bundle of…
  • My life is falling…
  • I’m at my wit’s…
  • I feel like resigning from the human…
Apparently we’re all experiencing the rat race. Just when you thought you were getting ahead, along come faster rats. But remember, he who wins the rat race is still a rat.

We need to learn how to experience rest.  If all we needed was physical rest we can always take a nap.  If we needed only emotional rest, we can always take a vacation.  But where can we find spiritual rest…rest for our souls?  How can we obtain relief regarding the deepest issues of life at the deepest level of our hearts?  The more things change the more they stay the same.

Jesus spoke to this very issue 2000 years ago in Matthew 11:28-30.  There are relevant things we can learn from this timeless passage.  For now, let’s admit that we need to review Christ’s words.

Scripture to Claim:
It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. Psalms 127:2

Devotional Archive