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"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
~ Matthew 11:28-30
On these cold winter days, I find myself seeking sanctuary indoors cuddled up on the couch with an engaging book. I continue to tell myself that I'll get to the couch as soon as I wash the dishes or fold one more load of laundry or sort one more pile of the never-ending mail. But the busyness of the daily chores doesn't seem to end and I go from one finished task to another disorganized mess, and the book gets completely forgotten. The clutter in my life distracts me from getting to the sacred space on the couch with that good book.
Sometimes I pick up one of those magazines or books that proclaims on the cover: "Eliminate Cluttered Chaos!", "Declutter Your Junk Drawer in Minutes", or "Get the Organized Room Today". These articles and books may or may not provide some good ways for temporary relief, but my time and energy is still focused on my mess while I flip the pages.
The writer of Matthew's gospel however, says "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest..." The text doesn't say "Do one more load of laundry." or "Pick up the dog's toys one more time." It simply says "Come to me..." I can picture the Holy Spirit whispering in my ear, "Forget about the clutter. Get on that cozy couch and find rest for your soul in me."
I know I need to hear these words from Matthew's gospel again and again. I struggle to take the time to truly rest and find peace for my heart, soul, and mind in Christ. The text doesn't say the burdens of life will go away for once and for all. The house will not automatically clean itself nor will our messy lives. But through taking on Christ's yoke, our soul will be set at ease. Then, filled with peace, we are able to enter into the messiness and chaos of life once again until we hear Christ calling, "Come to me..."
Holy Spirit, enter into our messy, chaotic lives. Help us take the breaks in our days and weeks to listen to your voice calling to us. Help us in our discernment in the big and small parts of life. Thank you for taking our burdens so we can serve you and yours more fully each new day. ~Amen
Laura Book, Associate in Ministry
Trinity Lutheran Seminary
Assistant Director for Vocational Discernment and Summer Seminary Sampler
Columbus, Ohio
This monthly devotion has been sent to you from the Covenant Cluster seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Covenant Cluster schools include the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (Chicago, Illinois), Trinity Lutheran Seminary (Columbus, Ohio) and Wartburg Theological Seminary (Dubuque, Iowa).
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