Showing posts with label Matthew 11:28-30. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matthew 11:28-30. Show all posts

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Rest in the Wilderness.



Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

I am laboring to find Place; wandering in the Wilderness, laden with longing.

But surely, LORD, You are my shelter, nestled under Your wing, providing Enough each day, whether it be a welcoming gesture from Teena, or a teary thank you from Leticia, or a sweet, sweet letter from my Cuban detainee. You have sent me out, two by two, with You at my side. Give me the joyous freedom I felt on pilgrimage, because what is true is that we are but pilgrims.

I confess to seeking more than the goodness and mercy You provide. Let me embrace the Present. To receive with open hands and heart and mind the moment with joy and gratitude. May I truly get off my donkey and kneel down by You along the way, embrace You and look You in the eyes.

Father, Thank you for taking away the burden of our sin because Jesus destroyed its power on the cross.

I pray that you would use me to lighten the burden of the others that you bring to my attention today, that they may know that You are good, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Confess


Confess

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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.” Matthew 11:28-30
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I want Jesus to walk with me.*

Ah prepositions.
How many times have I explained that prepositions show relationship between two nouns?

And one of the gifts, one of the presents of advent is a shift in prepositions, from “for Us” to “with Us.”

Presence.

And I confess, that although my hand shoots straight up vertical just like my Bonillas Learn Like a Champion kiddos when asked a question, I really have no clue of the answer.
And that I too have a short attention span.
And I scurry.
And blurt.
And fret.
And look elsewhere.
Or away.

Dear LORD Jesus, may I not look away.
I want to walk with You.
And You walk with me.

A yoke is shared. With.

I want Jesus to walk with me.


Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Let no other trust intrude.

Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory. I Corinthians 1:20

Again and again He speaks to us: Come unto Me.
Lay your burdens down.
I AM.

And so many months ago and miles ago, He made me His challenge: trust Me, Beloved child. I AM the companion by your side. Before you and Behind you. Learn of me, what it indeed means to be meek and lowly of heart.

Release. And you shall find rest for your souls.


He will embrace me in His arms.



Monday, October 2, 2017

Empty pockets.

Does a man harbor anger against another, and yet seek healing from the Lord? Does he have no mercy toward a man like himself, and yet pray for his own sins? Remember the commandments, and do not be angry with your neighbor, remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook ignorance. Sirach 28:2-3

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, Who forgives all your iniquity, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the Pit, Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy. Psalm 103:2-4

Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Matthew 18:21

Everette got a little distracted by all of the goings on in the plaza on Sunday morning, so actually only Marco and Cameron and I made it to eleven o’clock mass. Where we were joined by the non-armed forces who restored the alps and its villages after WWII celebrating their 50th anniversary.

But God reached in and poked my heart and I wept over my Peterish question that has been taking root in my heart…how often?

And this is the first time that I have wept in over a year.

And Jesus could not have been clear. Every time we pray we are told to forgive those who trespass against us, as far as the east is from the west. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Show mercy and you will be shown mercy.

Every single time we pray, we are to leave those trespasses behind. Before we bring our gifts of worship to the altar.



And never ever pick them up again.

In His last conversation with His Father as He hung on the cross, He showed us how it is done: Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

But no, I snatch those memories up again, and stick them back into my crowded pockets. And retell the stories to myself, again and again. Burnishing them, polishing them, until they are hard smooth rocks. To throw. To hurl accusations.

He who is without sin, throw the first stone.

I know a lot about memories because I helped a friend write a book about False Memory Syndrome, and the truth about memories, is that they are all false. Every time we relive or refresh a story and press “save” it erases the old, and stores the new in its place.

The new version, in which miscommunications and circumstances and back stories are carefully edited to make myself look better, kind and wise and gentle, and the other not so much.

How can you see to pull out the speck in your brother’s eye, when you have this big honking beam in your own?

Or maybe Jesus was talking about everyone else in the world except me.
Over and over again I retell these stories, me and my buddy The Accuser, to whom I have invited into these conversations. He’s pretty good at making up spicy details.

Platitudes abound as to how unforgiveness doesn’t hurt the other, just me. That unforgiveness is like one of those heavily laden roller suitcases, dragging behind us, boom bopitdy boom, up and down the cobble stone roads of life. We drag it everywhere we go. Sometimes we almost get used to the weight, until smash crash, it smooshes against our fragility, and breaks open the barely healing heart scabs.

But that is a big fat lie, once again a gift from The Enemy. Unforgiveness sours every relationship we with accusations, and the older and deeper and actually most important relationships can reverberate with the “You always” finger pointing in every interaction. And when the going gets rough, or things are tired and busy, things fall apart quickly.

But it is really not about me and my heavyladeness, or my busted relationships with the world.

It is really about me and Him. My Lord and My God. My Redeemer. My comfort. And nestling myself into His bosom. And resting my soul in His mercy.


Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30