Jesus said:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
These words are such a soothing balm for the soul. They make you relax just reading them! This is the entire gospel reading today, but there is still enough food for thought in these simple words to fill a book.
Perhaps the gospel reading today is best savored, a few words at a time…
“Come to me…”
Jesus is calling us to himself. Like a father, mother, grandparent, or best friend. His words are filled with such love for us. They are almost like a hug. Can you picture Jesus calling you and then putting his arm around you when you reach him?
“all you who labor and are burdened….”
Jesus is concerned for us. We are working too hard. We are tired a lot, trying to keep up with things at work, school, around the house, and the things on our to-do-list. We lie awake at night sometimes thinking about all of the things that still need to get done. Or we worry about money, our job, grades at school, family or relationship problems, children, grandchildren, etc. A lot of folks struggle with chronic insomnia too, and have to take medicine to help them sleep at night. We have too much on our plate to handle sometimes. It feels like such a relief that Jesus understands this. He understands the reality of our daily struggles.
“and I will give you rest…”
Really? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t even remember the last time that I had a really good night’s rest and woke up refreshed and relaxed.
“Take my yoke upon you…”
We complicate life so much more than it has to be. We’ve done things “our way” for a long time, and is it really working out so well if we are tired all the time? Maybe it’s time for a fresh outlook on life?
“and learn from me…”
I think this is the whole point in the gospel today. To stop the individualistic, self directed way that we have of looking at our life. Perhaps step out of the ingrained patterns of living that we find ourselves in, (that cause us so much stress and fatigue) and look at how Jesus lived his life instead.
Think about it. Jesus lived a very simple life. He owned almost nothing, but his life was filled to the brim with friendships, family and love for everyone around him. He had a deep prayer life and a close relationship with his father. Can we say the same??? This would be a really good thing to think about today.
“for I am meek and humble of heart…”
A lot of folks want to be leaders, not followers. Our society looks up to strong, assertive leaders in business and politics. There aren’t a lot of people who value those who are simple, poor, uneducated, or appear passive or non-assertive. And yet, Jesus was homeless, a drifter, poor, uneducated, and taught people to turn the other cheek.
“you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light…”
The thought for today might be to consider what your daily efforts are being spent on? What are the basic things that are most important to you? Are you spending too much effort on your job? Or your home? Do you really need everything to be perfect in order to be happy? When was the last time you took a “time out” from the treadmill of your daily life to actually think about your own life?
Maybe pray to Jesus and tell him about your hopes and dreams? Seek his guidance for a lower stress lifestyle, or the solutions to your problems? Let him handle the things that stress you out or cause you emotional pain. Why keep in all inside? Give it to the Lord Jesus and then let it go.
Maybe seek a little more simplicity in life. Savoring the moments with family and friends… finding peace and tranquility in prayer…
The weekend is coming up. Its vacation time for many folks… Perhaps you can find a way to carve out a little time for yourself too? To rest, to pray and to think.
