...I will give you rest....

On the way to church this morning I was all bent out of shape over a whole list of things. It was quite the foul mood. When I parked my truck and walked across the street, I took a good long deep breath and tried to clear my head so today's worship wouldn't be clouded by my mood.

One song, just one.....broke my mood and gave me an epiphany....

Come unto Me, all who are weary.
Come unto Me, all who are weak.
Come unto Me, all who are burdened,
And I will give you rest.

Come unto Me, all who are thirsty.
Come unto Me, all who are faint.
Come unto Me, all who are sorrowed,
And I will give you rest.

I’ll give you rest for your soul.
I’ll give you peace through the storm.
I’ll give you joy and make you whole.
Come unto Me; I'll give you rest.

There is a hope for the broken.
There is a peace for your soul.
There is a joy that comes from heaven.
It never lets you go.

In the past few weeks I've had talks with people both near and far about how we seem to pile things onto what should be a simple faith. We're humans, we need to see, to hear, and to understand things. It helps us to "see" others meeting some human-inspired conditions, when in fact, it's not necessary.

Come unto me all who are weary and burdened, I shall give you rest (Matt: 11:28)

You may not be able to understand my situation and the circumstances that brought me to this point. You may not understand my current thought processes. It's OK. It really is. But friends, there is no activity within my range of ability that will assuage your consternation. There is only solution for you.

Come unto me all who are weary and burdened, I shall give you rest (Matt: 11:28)

I love and respect each of you that have called on me in the past few months. Please understand that I have no animosity, anger, or hard feelings. However, I am at a point of needing to redefine and renew my life. The burdens I bear are more than enough. I cannot further intensify those by trying to appease so many opinions of "what should happen" or "what you need to do". Your words and thoughts are appreciated. I internalize each one, and weigh them all together. But at the end of the day, I cannot even support the original burdens.

As I sat and listened to that song today, the words just soaked in like a warm spring day. Between the notes of the pianist, I could hear that still small voice saying "give me your burdens, let others give me theirs too. They're not for you to take on. Their lack of understanding is their burden, not yours."

We're called to ALL bring our burdens to Him. Not to each other. He can give us rest. Rest and hope cannot be found in each other. No matter if we've been wronged, or wronged others, He and He alone can give ALL of us rest. No matter what our perspective is, no matter what our perceptions are, no matter how we feel about who's right or wrong in a situation, HE is the source of rest for EVERYONE involved.

I'm forgiven. My faith is simple. But my faith has been unmoved, unaltered. I'm loved, and forgiven through grace. It's that simple. That easy.

Come unto me all who are weary and burdened, I shall give you rest (Matt: 11:28)