Unique

If we went shopping and wanted to get new jeans (which ranks right up there with bathing suit shopping and undergarment shopping) we could try on the exact same styles of the exact same brands and they would fit us in completely different ways. Why? Because our bodies are not the same. We each have our own unique build and battle wounds from different seasons of our lives.

If we know this is true of our physical bodies, then we can logically assume that this is also true of our spiritual bodies. God did not pull out a set of cookie cutters and make us the same or even mostly the same as someone else. And if we know this to be true, why on earth do we try to force our bodies into someone else's mold, or worse yet, try to force someone else into ours?

One of the things I like about the people I know is that we are all passionate about different things. Our levels of conviction may be the same but they are directed towards different efforts. And it's not that we don't care about or aren't supportive of each other's interests, it's just that we uniquely express what God has put heaviest on our hearts because that's how we've been designed to impact the world for His name and glory.

I mention this because I seem to keep coming across Matthew 11:28-30 in different things I'm reading. Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I don't know about you, but I think the fastest track to weary and burdened has got to be trying to do something you weren't meant to do. Or worse yet, trying to not do something you were meant to do. Could we even come up with a more miserable existance?

But what if we were to take Jesus up on his offer? What if we actually went to him daily and let him give us what we need? What if we let him teach us exactly what we need to know to get just far enough until we need to go back for more? What if we actually let him direct our steps? And here's the best part. If we were to actually do this, as forgetful as we are, he promised us that through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we would be reminded of everything he's said to us. 

If we take just a moment to consider that Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves, and acknowledge that he is aware of exactly how we were created, then we must believe he's not going to give us a yoke that isn't suited for our shoulders or burdens. He knows what's best and where we will shine the most glory for God and have the biggest impact for eternity. If we would just commit to seeking him first, foremost, and repeatedly throughout our day, we just might find ourselves serving, loving, and leading in our sweet spots.

So I'm issuing a challenge for anyone who wants to take it. 

When I read The Broken Way I inked a cross on my wrist so that every time I saw it I would remember to live broken and given. What if we did something, even if it's wearing a bracelet we don't typically wear, as a reminder to not only seek Jesus first and foremost but to return to him consistently throughout the day for direction and to remind us of what he said? What if we did that for a week? Is it possible that come next Monday we might actually not be exhausted from trying to do everything? Could we not be tired from trying to meet everyone else's expectations instead of just his? Is a life without being weary and burdened possible if we just go to him and let him teach us what to do?

My plan is to start by answering three questions. (1) What did Jesus tell me today? The answer might come from anything.....my Bible, my devotional app, a book, a song, a person, a 'random thought' that led to an anology - metaphor - or symbol. (2) What do I need to remember? What is the most important thing that I've been told that applies to today? And (3) what do I need to do about it?

I don't know how this is going to go and I am absolutely certain I am not going to do this even close to perfectly. But I do know that if we commit to seeking him, he promises that he will be found. And if we let him in to what's going on instead of trying to do it all on our own, he promises to give us rest because he'll give us what's most important to do, not everything we see that needs to be done. And for the girl who likes to rush through one list just to be able to start another, a simpler, slower, more intentional pace sounds like a really good offer.