Lisa Frank. Do you remember her? The unicorn, brightly colored lunch boxes and binders that resurfaced each August in the 90’s? Or Limited Too for that matter? I vividly remember back-to-school shopping for the best glittery pants I could find as beach vacations came to an end and store aisles were filled with folders, notebooks & gel pens.
These days, school supplies, registrations, extra-curriculars, new teachers, and new schedules come easily through our inboxes, but as the fall approaches, I’m always surprised by the newness that I feel as it rolls in. There’s no escaping the quick pace that we experience when the fall semester finds its way back into our calendars & our slow, peaceful summer somehow drifts away.
Hear me out, I love a schedule and I love efficiency. People like me typically love beginnings: January 1st, Birthdays, Mondays, First Days of School, New Semesters. You name the beginning– I’ll likely love the idea of it. And while I love a fresh start, there’s something about the certified rapids of the fall semester that used to put me in a tailspin of chaos.
Maybe it’s because the summer always felt so refreshing and slow, to only experience whiplash when new, fast-paced rhythms began. Or maybe it’s because our soul craves stillness and when you look at our August, September, October (and don’t even get me started on the Holiday) schedules, many times our calendars reflect the opposite of that.
I hear you. Life marches on– even when our soul craves to be still. So, how do we run this race well, all the while finding peace among the chaos and stillness for our restless souls?
We come to Jesus.
In Matthew 11, Jesus tells us to, “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).
A yoke is a large beam that is put on an animal, typically to pull something, like a cart. Tim Keller says it like this, a yoke connects you to somebody or something else– it’s what we rely on to pull the cart in our weariness.
Why in a fast paced season do we feel weary?
Have you ever asked yourself that question? Everyone has a different story to tell. Maybe it’s because you like to help others, which can be a great thing, maybe it’s because you overcommit, or maybe, like me, you don’t want to disappoint or burden others, so you say ‘yes’ anyway.
Friends, what do you have to prove? Are we yoked to something besides Jesus? If so, that will always leave us restless. Jesus simply tells us to come to Him, to be with Him, to abide in Him and He will give us rest. He doesn’t tell us to do more or to prove ourselves. He already did everything for us on the Cross. We live from Victory, not for it.
Coming to Him gives us rest, but notice that there’s one more piece to what He offers us. He tells us to take His yoke upon us and to learn from Him. Jesus is “gentle and lowly (or humble) in heart” and when we really learn from Him, we experience “rest for our souls”.
He doesn’t tell us that He will get rid of our yoke or our burdens, but rather that if we put His on, they are easy and light.
Peace and rest isn’t found in a circumstance, but rather in a Person.
In John 14:27, Jesus tells us that He leaves us with peace, but not peace that the world gives. He leaves us with a different peace, a soul level peace that looks totally different from the spa day that the world tells us is the definition of rest.
As we head into a new season, are we walking alongside the One who offers true rest for our souls?
Are we creating space to abide in Him and to learn from Him?
Think back to when you learned to swim. You had to get into the water and practice. You likely had someone holding you up before you got the basics down. You had to carefully observe how to hold your breath or kick your feet. You had to swim beside someone, trusting them in the deep water before you could jump in solo.
Learning takes time, practice, intentionality, and community, but the Lord tells us to simply come to Him and He will teach us and give us rest for our souls. Less doing, more being.
What are you yoked to this fall? Are we allowing our schedules or our to-do list to pull us along, or are we walking alongside a Savior that already made us worthy with His finished work on the Cross?
I pray you experience true rest amidst the demands of this life, and that our planners would reflect a peace that is different from that of this world, friends. Let’s come to Him, remain with Him, and learn from Him each and every day this season.
Wow, Wow, Wow! I am defintely a planner so this was right on time. Thank you so much for sharing about rest. I am looking forward to bringing this into the fall season. Grateful for you and your words.