May 15, 2023
Ecclesiastes 2:22-23
What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.
Solomon, who was known for his great wisdom, concludes that so much of the toil and anxious striving that we put ourselves through is meaningless. The striving that keeps us awake at night. The striving which often brings us grief and pain.
So why do we do it? Why do we suffer so through the pressures of this life?
Jesus offers us an alternative. “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.” (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG)
Isn’t that beautiful? Jesus invites us, and lays before us the possibility of a life without the debilitating weight of worry, fear, uncertainty, and anxiety that so many of us carry. Go Back and read those words from Matthew 11:28-30 again. What if that were the reality of our days, to live freely and lightly?
I want to be clear that it’s not an easy fix to walk with Jesus in this way. Walking with Jesus is counter-cultural, it’s going against the flow of what’s “normal” in our culture, it’s a narrow road as the Gospel tells us. But it is a road that leads to an abundant life with meaning. Purpose. Peace. Sounds like a worthwhile payoff to me.
Let us continue, or start today, to walk with Jesus, with our minds, hearts, and eyes focused on him. These steps begin with a prayer of surrender, a prayer that says I want to let go, and let God have his way.
LET US PRAY
God, I surrender to you, and your tender care my body, my mind, my soul, and my whole life by relinquishing worry over things I cannot control. Amen
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