28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 What does the above passage of Scripture mean to you? There is a church on the corner of Peachtree Street and North Avenue in Midtown Atlanta. In the mid-nineties, I used to walk by that church or ride by it on almost a daily basis. When walking my eyes would be drawn to a depiction of Jesus with His arms spread wide, in a welcoming embrace. Below the mural is the passage of Scripture from Matthew 11, verses 28 through 30 which I always found peace in reading as I walked by. It was a comforting passage of Scripture, reassuring me that I could always come to Christ to be renewed, revived, and restored. It was a personal invitation to me that would be guaranteed to change my life if I accepted His offer. Through the next twenty years it would pop up in my mind again during my Bible reading, other readings that I would encounter, or if I passed through the area again. Yet, it has not been until twenty years later that the Scripture took on a new meaning. Twenty years later and now I'm no longer living in the area, but working in that area and I still see the Scripture whenever I drive by. Recently, the Scripture spoke to me in a different manner. Last week, I read the Scripture in the daily meditation of Our Daily Bread. As I meditated on the Scripture and the message shared, I began to see my journey in a whole new way. How do you find "Rest" in the Lord? Rest. It seems as if I have been focused on the entire Scripture for so long, that I missed the power in the word "Rest." I worry and stress about things beyond my control quite often. Why? Because I like to have control over things circulating in my world. When they are evidently beyond my control, as is everything in this world, I try really hard to make things go the way that I believe they should. In the end, it always turns out some other way, or disastrous in the impact of the journey getting to the end. It's because I have no control over life's circumstances, none of us do. We can simply take every moment and give our best and trust the Lord Almighty to work out the rest. There is that word again. Rest. This time as I focused on the word, I found Him telling me that I need to learn to truly let things go and allow Him to work it out for my good, and the good of the others who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I cannot force the ending that I believe is the best ending, no more than my readers can re-write my novels with a different ending. When I understand that He is good and He wants us to have the best life possible and live a life that glorifies Him, then I can let go of the stress and strain. Then I can move into a space of trusting Him and giving my best in every encounter, every interaction with others, and every situation. This kind of rest in God allows me to be delivered, healed, and freed from the inner turmoil that comes from stress and worrying. It allows me to have peace knowing that He holds all things in the cradle of His arms and when I truly rest in the Lord, I can be still and know that He is God and I can have freedom in my mind and in my soul to follow the way He leads and guides me. When I have this rest, I can hear His voice clearly giving me guidance, wisdom, and speaking to me in clarity. It is at this time that I am able to move freely, because I know my steps are ordered by Him. It is now that I can say with sincerity of heart that "ALL IS WELL." What is your favorite Scripture? Thanks for joining us for another Motivational Monday Moment! Please be so gracious as to leave a comment below about your favorite Scripture, I would love to hear from you!
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Inspirational women's fiction author, writing the script to my beautifully inspired life! Be Inspired, Follow Me!Archives
June 2019
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