May 14, 2016

Take It To Jesus Today

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -- Matthew 11:28-30

Some days I sit down late at night, so exhausted I just want to have a good cry, and try to remember where my day went. I was busy all day long and yet I didn’t seem to accomplish anything.

Have you ever been there? Do you know what I’m talking about?

I cooked. I washed dishes. I drove others to various destinations. I did laundry. I counted cows. I fed geese and dogs. I mowed grass. I watered flowers. I cleaned and bandaged a hurt toe on someone else. I sorted medicines. I helped make homemade jelly and then cleaned up the kitchen -- again. Oh, and I tried to complete a painting so I could earn a little money.

Yes, I am tired. What did you do today? I’m betting that while the tasks were different, for at least some of you the day was equally as long. I am a caregiver for two elderly adults. You might by a young mom with small children who is juggling a job and everything else. You could be a man working overtime to help his child pay for college. We all have our stories and we all get tired from life’s demands.

Jesus said to come to Him and He will give us rest. I need that, don’t you? I need to be covered in peace and grace, to rest in His embrace, so that I can recharge enough to do it all again tomorrow.

So many times we try to do it all ourselves. We don’t want to take time from the little bit we have to spend with Jesus. We tell ourselves that somehow tomorrow will come with more of that special thing called time. Except it doesn’t because tomorrow is like today and the day after.

What happens when we don’t recharge in the arms of Jesus? What happens to our souls, our peace, our strength, when we don’t take time to rest in Him? Sooner or later there just won’t be anything left. Nothing. And we’ll become empty shells of who God intended us to be.

We were built with an inner longing to know and worship God Almighty. We can try to fill ourselves up with stuff. We can put it off. We can try to persuade ourselves that it’s not important. But we will never, ever have peace and rest until we do.

Take time today and spend it with Jesus. Then do it again tomorrow. Rest in His strength and draw from it. Find comfort in His Presence and learn from Him. He’s waiting. Don’t put it off any longer. You need Him. We all do.