I don't know about you guys, but recently I've been constantly tired, burnt out and feeling the pinch of time. It's hard to tell if it's simply the year building momentum as it comes to a close, but it feels like there's a million to-dos and no time to action them.
I feel like I come home from work exhausted, my weekends are filled with tasks and no rest, and the week drags to a close only for it to repeat all over again.
I crave the escape that only nature can provide, free from the hustle and bustle of a busy city and busy lives, in a world that is constantly caught up on the latest news and posts. We are consuming information at such a high rate that we can't keep up, and the demands on our work and lives falls down as a result.
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It can be hard in these times to make time for God. To feel the energy to be able to sit down and read his word without falling asleep as you pray. To be able to take the time to sit and cultivate his presence, rather than skim the verse of the day or the daily devotional. It can be hard to do the one thing that we know will recharge our soul and give us the strength we need to make it through the day.
If this sounds like what you're going through, don't fret. You are not the only one. We are not the only ones. This conundrum has existed since the time of the Jewish people, and I believe will not be going away any time soon. Not until we learn how to fully satisfy our souls in Jesus.
In Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG), Jesus said “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
From the mouth of our beautiful Saviour himself, he calls us to him. He calls us to rest our weary souls with him, recharge our minds and learn the 'unforced rhythms of grace'. How wonderful to remind ourselves that this speed, this pressure to 'do do do' is all externally placed upon us from others or ourselves. We may feel the pressure to be constantly busy, constantly doing. We may even be doing for God, adding to the pressure a sense of righteous guilt for letting God down.
But we see from the mouth of our Lord himself, he does not want us to hurry. He does not care about our 'do'. Our do is a byproduct of our 'who'; and our 'who' is that we are in relationship with Him.
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When you're in a relationship with someone, you don't say, "Oh I have to buy them a present this week, I haven't done that in a while, then I need to clean their car, then I need to make sure I text them at 12pm to check how their day is going. It's okay if I dont read the respond, it just matters that I sent it to them. After I do all that, that will show them that I care. Oh there's just so much to do to feel connected in this relationship! Sometimes I just feel so distant from them"
A relationship focussed on the emotions first, and the actions flow out of that. Out of love, comes buying the gift that reminds you of them. Out of love, comes the act of cleaning their car they've been complaining about for weeks. Out of love, comes checking in with them to hear how their day is going. You don't do these things to gain intimacy, you do these things to enhance the intimacy that is already there.
How do you gain intimacy in the first place? Spending time getting to know each other, enjoying each other's company, and being there for each other.
How do we become closer to God? By enjoying his presence, knowing he is there with you and you with Him, and getting to know Him through prayer or reading your Bible. These things are not tasks done in order to tick a box, but are done as a natural way to grow and learn about Him. And out of this flows the works in our lives that we do out of love for Him.
So often we have this flipped around. Doing works first in the hope of gaining his approval, so that we feel comfortable even approaching Him. Doing works in the hope that He will know our love for Him by what we are doing FOR Him, forgetting He wants to do life WITH us. Doing works because we feel the pressure of proving that we are doing enough and trying enough.
"Come to me, those who are burnt out on religion." The Jewish people were experts of work-based religion. They too felt that they had to 'do do do' all the time in order to prove themselves, to be good enough, to achieve intimacy with God. Jesus came to correct that. He came to say that intimacy comes first, true rest is found purely in his presence. And out of rest, we grow. A counter intuitive idea from a God who is outside time and culture.
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Come, learn the unforced rhymths of grace. Breathe in those small moments each day . Looking out the window whilst you're on the train instead of scrolling, savouring that first cup of coffee in the morning, enjoying the minute or two between switching tasks during your day. Learn the moments of peace hidden like little gifts for us in the ordinary mundane. And rest your soul with the one who loves you regardless of how hard you work.