Rest from Expectations

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)

Life is hard.  

Trying to live up to other’s expectations is even harder.  As the owner of a small, simple soul, I can tell you honestly—it wears me out. 

But what if we only tried to live up to Jesus’ expectations of us?  Does that sound daunting because Jesus lived a perfect life?  Do you think that’s His expectation for you, as well?  

Matthew 11:28-30 says that we will find rest in Jesus.  In the past couple of weeks, we have seen that this includes rest from sin, traded for merciful salvation in Jesus.  It includes rest from religious rules, traded for relationship with God.  And I believe it includes rest from expectations, traded for grace and growth and genuineness.  

In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says, “learn from me.” As Christians, we will spend our entire lives learning from Jesus, but here are just a few snapshots of Him from scripture that reveal much about the type of rest He offers.

• In Jesus we find rest from trying to outrun our past.  When he spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus transformed her painful past into a powerful testimony. (John 4:39)

• In Jesus we find rest from needing to be “enough.”  When a small boy offered 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed a crowd of thousands, Jesus took his meager gift and multiplied it into something that blessed the multitudes. 

• In Jesus we find rest from striving for spiritual perfection.  He heals the son of a man who has just declared, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24b).   And Jesus honors his budding faith with blessing.  (Mark 4:14-27)

And those, dear friend, are just a few examples of the rest He offers those who believe.

If you have taken the first step to surrender your sin to Jesus and follow Him faithfully as Lord of your life, don’t stop there!  

Learn from Him, and find rest for your  soul.

Until next time,

Shelby