Tired ?

Sunday June 27, 2021

Tired ?

Matthew 11:28 - Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

There are several kinds of fatigue : physical fatigue, intellectual fatigue, mental or emotional fatigue... There is also physical fatigue due to pain which causes emotional fatigue...

If I believe that in our verse of the day, God can and will give rest to our tired bodies, even sometimes exhausted after a day of work, I believe that this verse is addressed more particularly to those who are tired and burdened by weights that cannot be seen with the naked eye !

Fatigue can be caused by an addiction that you fight against and get exhausted. Maybe you are tired of "fighting" against thoughts that harass you : that incessant fear that comes over you day after day. Are you tired of having to resist all these pains that assail you every moment ? Are you tired of all the forms of injustice that are around you, it is heavy on your shoulders but especially on your heart ? Are you tired of those people who make commitments but don't keep them ? Tired of people who have two opposing speeches and acts ? Tired of seeing some Christians behaving like sheep because it is "such" or "tell" that brings the Word, when what is said has nothing to do with what the Scriptures teach us ? Tired of praying for this child who goes astray...

Today I would like to talk about the cross : the one on which Jesus agreed to die for you and for me, the one he had to carry to Mount Golgotha, the place of the crucifixion. Imagine for a moment this cross, it must have been very heavy and very big. This cross is also heavy with meaning : it represents all the weights that we have to carry on a daily basis. Those listed above, but also those that are specific to you.

I imagine Jesus carrying that cross. Every step He took must have been painful, terrible to experience. Not only physically, because He had already suffered from the Romans a great number of blows, but also morally because He had been mocked and humiliated. That this climb must have been difficult. Reaching the top is not without suffering, without mockery, without fear. Every step taken was already a victory towards all is accomplished.

One might be tempted to say : "Jesus carried everything". Yes, however, Jesus Himself said in his Word : "If anyone wants to come after me, let him renounce himself, take up his cross every day, and follow me" (Luke 9:23). Are we coerced and forced like Simon of Cyrene was ? Certainly not, but if we want to follow Jesus, we must take charge of this cross to bring him to Golgotha.

What would that mean concretely ? That life is made of joy, blessings, healings... but also fears, suffering... that we sometimes have to carry to Golgotha, often with difficulty, being tempted to give up. However, it is up to us to carry it to the place where Jesus won everything, the place where Jesus carried everything, to finally obtain his rest and his yoke to Him who is gentle and light.

What I mean is that the path to peace, deliverance, rest... sometimes requires, if not often, a Stations of the Cross. Going with perseverance is worth it because at the end of this path is victory. Don't get beaten up by those who say : "This is not normal," but keep going up the hill. God will send you Simon of Cyrene who will help you wholeheartedly without feeling obligated to do so.

With all my love.

Source (Ezekiel 37 Ministries)