Come To Me

This morning Pastor Rob shared this Bible passage from Matthew 11 in his message:

28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

I've been rolling it around in my mind all day. I love what it doesn't say. It doesn't say...Come to me, all you who were weary...or...don't come to me if you are still weary..or...you figure things out and then we can fellowship. NO! What it does say is so inviting. Come to me. I see Jesus waiting on the other end of that invitation. He knows that weariness is a guaranteed part of the human experience. He doesn't minimize the impact of our burdens. He simply says come to me. That is beautiful in itself but he says even more...he promises rest....rest for your soul. Isn't that where we most need rest...that place where all our emotions, thoughts and concerns reside? Rest for your soul. I need that rest. And it comes from him. I can't get myself to that place without his working in me.

How may Christians have been beaten over the head by Philippians 4:6 Has it ever happened to you? You share a concern with someone and they respond "Oh, be anxious for nothing sister." They forget that is only a fragment of the sentence. There is a crucial conjunction. "But". What a great word. It is almost like "how". As if the writer is saying, I am going to tell you something that seems impossible but then I'm going to tell you how it is possible. In prayer we go to God...we heed Jesus' call to come to me. And there on the other side is peace..the rest for our soul we so desperately need.

It is freeing to know that Jesus understands that weariness, burdens, worry, anxiety....they all happen. Life on the planet is chuck full of things to worry about. I just signed my son up for tackle football. Did you know there were warning labels on football gear? I had no idea. It is causing me a bit of anxiety. Thankfully, I have a place to go with all my burdens, the inviting arms of one who loves and understands. One who calls me in the middle of my fear - Come To Me.