Rest for the Soul









“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.”

We had the same reading a few days ago, and in the reflection (see No More a Donkey - https://youtu.be/ubsxlZ2ewr4), I spoke about how it wasn’t only the sinners Jesus was offering rest to, it was also wanna be saints. You may have heard the saying, “There is no rest for the wicked”? Well, there is often no rest for the holy either, not merely because they find themselves burdened with too many things they are told to do and not do, but also because of the continuous temptation that comes their way. 

We all have “methods” for resisting temptation. When I invite students in our Schools of Discipleship to share what they do to resist temptations, there are quite literally hundreds of things they suggest: gazing upon the crucified Jesus on a crucifix, quoting Scripture, dropping to their knees and praying for help, calling upon guardian angels for aid, distracting oneself by watching a movie or playing a game, going for a jog, meeting up with good friends, getting away from the situation; oh, the list is endless.

Many of these methods work A LOT of the time. But there is only one method that works ALL the time. And that is being permanently yoked to Jesus. When he promises us rest, it isn’t only from the exhaustion we have been feeling in the past; it is to prevent exhaustion in the future too, exhaustion that comes from battling temptation constantly. I am sure that you have noticed that temptation doesn’t reduce the more we grow spiritually; it actually increases. The reason for this is simple. The enemy will maximize his efforts to get us to fall because he doesn’t want us to grow even more.

So, what happens when we are yoked to Jesus? Being yoked to him is being connected to him in much the manner two oxen are connected to each other. Although the imagery there brings to mind a wooden beam that locks the oxen together, the image I prefer using is of arms thrown around each others shoulders. Kinda like close buddies. So how does this work practically? Ok, let’s take a common situation. Someone near to you starts an argument, pushing your buttons. You find yourself getting angry and a nasty retort comes to mind. 

Now, normally, you’d apply one of your methods. Perhaps it is to tell yourself the person doesn’t know what he/she is saying and to just ignore it. Except this time, the arm around you tightens, so you know that Jesus is with you, backing up your decision, and that gives you the added encouragement you need to truly shut up. Now if the person doesn’t stop being nasty to you, you put your second method in place, which is leaving the scene. Except this time when you leave, you are not left to fret and fume alone; you have Jesus with you comforting you and consoling you, reminding you to continue to be loving, not resentful. 

Like everything else, this will take some practice, but try it and see. You’ll truly have rest for your soul. 

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here:  https://youtu.be/2MapNs0jG0E

 

 


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