The unforced rhythms of grace
A safe place to learn His pace.
We live in a world that says work harder, go faster, do more, and be more.
There’s a passage in scripture that I came across a while back that breathed life into my soul. It redefined the way I desire to live, and put words to a deep longing that i had in my heart.
“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
Firstly, I think it’s important to acknowledge where we’re at. Am I tired? Am I worn out? We have to be honest with ourselves and honest with God. In order to get anywhere, we have to locate where we currently are.
According to this scripture, we are created to live out of a place of REST. We are not created to live constantly striving to the point where we consistently find ourselves out of breath and overrun.
In order to live out of this place of true rest, we must accept the invitation to come. As we choose to come to Him, he will show us how to do life His way.
A key word in this passage is the word “learn”.
Speaking out of my own experience I tend to have such high expectations for myself. Often, I find myself so frustrated because I can’t just “live lightly”, I have to LEARN how to live lightly. God knows He is working with fractured humans who have the world vying for our attention.
He doesn’t expect us to read this verse and change our living overnight. He doesn’t expect us to acknowledge we are tired, snap our fingers, and live rested. He knows that this will be a process. He wants to show us how - He wants us to not only walk with him, but also work with Him. He knows that we can learn how to rest when it’s time to rest, but even more, He desires us to WORK out of that same resting place.
The key is humbling yourself to learn and to choose to stay in company with Him. As we walk, work, and learn to exist in His rhythm- we will consistently live more freely and lightly. Not perfectly, but in step with Him as much as possible.
We can choose the pace we live. Sometimes we may be in a season of sprinting, and there may be a season of relaxing on the other side of it. The important thing is making sure that you are choosing the pace of Christ, and not the pace of the world.
Choosing to work hard when he says to, to go faster when he says to, to do more when he says to, and to be HIS always.
Choosing to rest hard when he says to, to slow down when he says to, to do less when he says to, and to be HIS always.
We don’t have to live life heavy. He longs for us to live free.
Today is a great day to accept His invitation to come and learn, to keep company with Him.