Tag Archives: Matthew 11:28

When God carries you

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You are probably familiar with the famous “Footprints in the Sand” poem and illustration. A young man laments at how hard his path has been. He looks in the sand and sees that sometimes there are two sets of footprints, his and God’s; other times he sees only one set of footprints and bemoans why God abandoned him in the deepest trials of his life. God responds gently, “My son, where you see only one set of footprints is where I carried you.”

Such comfort is extended in that illustration. When we are unable to carry ourselves through difficult passages in life, God picks us up and carries us in his loving and faithful arms. But what about when we are reluctant to accept his help? This cartoon might illustrate an alternative view. God says, “Where there is one set of footprints, I carried you. Where there is a long groove, I dragged you for a while.” (Go to GoLightOurWorld.org/blog if you can’t view cartoon.) Of course, God doesn’t actually drag us along. Instead He gives us free will to choose His path or our own. Choosing our own may feel like we are being dragged along. But as James says, it is our own sinful desires that drag us away.

The choice is always ours. When it is too tough to walk, too hard to carry on, we can let God carry us with His sufficient grace. Or we can try to go it alone, trusting in our own sufficiency. We can focus on our problems or focus on Jesus.

What circumstances are making you ever so weary? Jesus invites you to bring them to Him. “Come to me all of you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Are you ready for a rest?!

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One week before Christmas: Is the tree decorated, lights up? Christmas cards sent out, gifts purchased and wrapped? Christmas meals and activities planned? Whew! Sounds like you are ready for a rest! But as you lie your head down, do more to-do lists pop in your head? Where oh where can you find rest?

During this last year with leukemia I’ve gone through phases where certain medications were needed to manage one condition but at the cost of my sleep. And there have been other times, like now, when the medications made me too sleepy, and very little ‘awake’ time for activity. Then there were those exasperating times when two medications were needed, one keeping me wired and awake and the other making me drowsy. It is quite the balancing act! And where do we find real rest?

It seems the answer is both simple and evasive. Jesus says simply, “Come to me all of you who are weary and heavy laden. And I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Coming to Jesus involves leaving the rest of the world, our worries and preoccupations, our ambitions, our lists, even our pain, behind. Interesting, how we sometimes cling to these thoughts that we know are robbing us of peace. It involves suspending all this for a season, while we allow ourselves to drift into God’s presence.

What does that mean to you, to drift into God’s presence? Perhaps you can imagine an overcoat you have where every pocket is overfilled with plans and worries. As you intently hang up that coat in the closet and shut the door, can you see yourself walking away and trusting the outcomes of those concerns to God? That is the path to God’s presence.

Can you feel yourself warming to his presence as you lie down and contemplate how faithful God is, or the nature of his everlasting love for you? Can you let your muscles relax as you realize that no day, no matter how stressful it had been, has ever completely overcome you. You’ve made it through every one of them! Can you feel a gentle smile form on your face as you start listing everything for which you are thankful? I think it is a very long list once you start! These too are paths to God’s presence.

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

Let your mind rest in the thought of this goodness.

Filled up?

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I remember my first round of chemo nine months ago. And actually, all three rounds, 21 days total, had the same effect. Each daily dose seemed to fill up my body a bit more. It felt just like filling a jug with water, until after day seven, it seemed I was quite “over filled,” and the nausea set in. Interestingly, my last chemo was five months ago and yet the results continue to work through my body. I just lost my ten fingernails and the ten toenails are not far behind. It’s a very minor thing and hardly worth mentioning except as related to the cumulative effect of troubles. Little things, repeated over and over and added to others have a cumulative effect of wearing on our body and soul. (As a celebrative side note, the steroids have jump started my appetite and given me a little more energy. I think my Failure to thrive diagnosis will go away in 2-3 months. After three months of living on 700-1000 calories a day and near continual pain, it is good to feel good even if temporary! The diabetes and insulin routine has returned with the steroids but that is likely temporary. It reminds me how God is ALWAYS good, but oh how we love to sing His praises when prayers are answered with his restoration and healing!)

I suspect most ongoing troubles you face have a similar tendency to make you feel more and more filled up until you are sure you cannot take anymore: an irritating coworker, a family or other relationship conflict, constant struggles with finances, the vain pursuit of happiness in worldly things. Even relatively small troubles seem to have power to diminish comparatively large blessings in your life. Things easily get out of perspective. I know. I’ve been there too.

Yet we are well to remind ourselves that the Lord’s compassions never fail. They are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23) He IS good and everlasting (Psalm 100:4) and His goodness in us is much stronger than the troubles that beset us. And like the troubles that seem to fill us up more and more until we feel we can barely swallow, God responds with
His practical love. come to me. trust me in this. Rely, I can handle it. Get some sleep and rest in Me for awhile.

Are you filled up and fed up with troubles today to the point that you can’t take anything else in? Find that quiet place with God and pour them out before Him as an offering of trust, and be filled with His peace that surpasses all understanding.

“Come to me all of you who are weary, and I will give you rest.” – Jesus, Matthew 11:28

Path to Peace – Recreation

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How was your Memorial Day weekend? (Note to our international readers: Memorial Day is a national day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service, our fallen heroes. It was declared a national holiday in 1971.)

Was your day meditative as you reflected on those who have given their lives to secure and preserve the freedoms we enjoy today? For many it is much the same as any other day. But for millions of Americans it is a time to reunite with family and friends.

You might be surprised to know that one of the paths to peace is through recreation. What comes to mind when you think about recreation? Watching or playing sports or music, attending art events, watching a movie, playing games, reading, shopping, partying with friends and family, or vacations to favorite destinations? I wonder how many times we miss the intent of recreation because we ‘mispronounce’ the word. If you’ve ever come back more worn out and frustrated from a vacation or family reunion than when you started, you understand the meaning of “wreckreation.” If you’ve watched a movie to “veg out” and find you’re not more relaxed than when you began, you understand too. Americans are famous at ‘wreckreating’. We are a ‘wreckreation nation’. But recreation (re-creation) involves participating in those activities that recreate us and restore our soul. They lift us emotionally, physically, and spiritually to a higher level than we were before. They recharge our batteries. It’s possible you might find ways to recreate in the same ways others ‘wreckreate’.

Here’s a practical way to apply this principle of restoration:
Take a sheet of paper and make three columns. In the first column make a list of things you do to ‘wreckreate’ that actually drag you down. In the middle column, list the things you already do that lift you up. In the last column, add to your list new things you might consider trying for thirty days to expand your re-creation skill set. For example:

  • Take a walk by yourself or with a friend
  • Start a daily journal of your thoughts and insights
  • Plant a few flowers and take care of them
  • Watch only uplifting movies
  • Read an inspirational/encouraging book
  • Read the Gospel of John
  • Take your spouse or child to a restaurant where you have to look down, not up, at the menu 😉
  • Have a normal conversation with God once (or throughout) the day

You get the idea. Enjoy some time investing in your (and your family’s) recreation on your path to peace with God.

“Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest.” – Jesus, Matthew 11:28