Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
God sees us, calls us by name, and gives us rest. What welcome words these are in Isaiah and in Matthew. Who among us doesn’t need rest? God knows our every need and offers us what we need. Take a moment today to rest in God. Actually, take that moment now if you can, before you read further.
Pause and bask in God’s unconditional and all-consuming love for you. Breath deeply. Really. Do this. Rest in God’s love for you. When you are ready, read on.
God desires only good for us, for you, and for me, and for every person. So, God also desires what is good for us. God desires us to be in relationship with one another and with God. And, relationships do require some work, some labor. This labor is not meant to be a burden, Christ says, “Come to me all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
How is our labor not a burden? God invites us to take Christ’s yoke upon us. A yoke connects animals together for work. Not only that, but often a stronger animal will be yoked to a weaker one. The work is still magnified, but it makes the work less burdensome, especially for the weaker one. Yes, God invites us to magnify what Christ is doing in the world. God is also gentle with us. This labor is not a burden when we are yoked to Christ, who “does not faint or grow weary.”
When we yoke ourselves to Christ and rely on God’s love, we are capable of both resting and laboring in and for the kin-dom in a way that not only does not weary us but also fosters deep joy.
Pause again and rest in God’s unconditional and all-consuming love for you.
God does not desire you to be burdened.
God loves you.
God trusts you to walk alongside Christ, as together we labor in and for the kin-dom.
—Kelly Adamson