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. Matthew 11:28-29 NIV
Early mornings, late nights, hours upon hours of studying, meetings, practices, games, work...
A to-do list a mile long and growing. A whirlwind of chaos. No break in sight.
I've always been a busy person because of all of the things I want to do, but lately that busyness has become a bit overwhelming. I haven't gotten much of a break because there is always something for me to go do or get done. From the outside looking, it seems as if I am a bit crazy for adding all that I do to my plate. And maybe I am. But, what I've noticed recently is that despite all of the busyness and all of what seems to be chaos, I am still able to find peace and rest.
It may seem like a crazy feat that I am able to do it all, but I'll let you in on a little secret: I don't do it alone. There is absolutely no way that I would be okay if I tried to rely on only my own strength. I know because I tried it before, and it did not go well. I was left feeling drained and burnt out, and I was rarely in a good mood. It was not sustainable. As soon as I recognized that and surrendered my "control" over it, I started to feel calmer and more joyful. I let God fill in the gaps and His strength was more than sufficient for my weakness. I was amazed at how much more I could actually get done when I relied on Him instead of myself. And what's even more amazing is that I felt peace while I did it all too.
However, I'm not saying that it's always peaceful. Yes it does still get burdensome at certain points and yes I am not immune to stress, but I'm never stuck in those places. I may have a lot going on, but when I think of the bigger picture, of the eternal picture, my accomplishments here on earth aren't what will get me to heaven. I can rest knowing that my job is simply to run my race well for the glory of His kingdom. And if I do that, then everything else will follow. When my focus is on my God then the things I produce will reflect Him and my peace will be protected.
I can have fun and work from a place of joy when I rest in my God's open arms and let His power flow through me. My to-do list goes from being a burden to being an opportunity. It's not that I have to do all of these things, it's that I choose to do all of these things. It's amazing what can happen with that simple perspective switch. My work starts to flow from a place of passion instead of obligation and I get to see more beauty in the world around me.
When the to-do list becomes too overwhelming and the chaos becomes too distracting, and we feel like there is no place to rest, our God whispers down to us that He is right here with open arms. He is the safe place, the source of our strength, and the living water that sustains us while we run our races.