anapauso. "i will give rest."
what is rest? just after christ encounters john the baptist, he promises, to all who are weary, that he will give them rest. thus, i'm sure that some of his listeners must have been seeking rest, at some sence of unrest, desiring to find something they could not grasp. rest.
i will give you rest. we still yearn for this rest. and those of us who say that we do not yearn to find it, we lie to ourselves. so be honest with yourself. acknowledge your need for this rest that Christ promises, and seek after it.
i found a comforting notation from dale and juanita ryan, who remind us that christ came for those who are yearning, for those who recognize the chaos in our lives. he did not live for those who have it altogether anyway.
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come tocall the righteous, but sinners. Matthew 9:12
"One of the most remarkable features of the human condition is our capacity to pretend that we are healthy when our lives are in total chaos. We work hard to cover up our problems and flaws in our character. We will sacrifice almost anything to keep from facing the truth about ourselves. We work this hard to look good because we experience our human needs, limits and failures with deep shame - a shame that drives us to strive harder and harder to look better and better. We sacrifice our serenity, our relationships,our sanity on the altar of perfectionism. We also sacrifice any possibility of getting the help we need by continuing to insist that "we can handleit."God does not ask such sacrifices from us. God has no need for us to be perfect. Jesus speaks to us gently but very clearly about this issue. He confronts our pretense, shame and perfectionistic strivings. He says in effect "youdo not have to sacrifice yourself in this way.
"You do not have to driveyourself like this. I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I want you to learn tobe mercy-full to yourself. Be compassionate with yourself. It will free you to accept your need of healing. It will allow you to acknowledge your longing for me." Jesus was saying "I did not come to pass out blue ribbons to the peoplewho have all the answers and have worked hard to prove themselves. I came to bring hope and healing to people who know they need help." We can stop shaming and condemning ourselves because God does not shame or condemnus. God knows our brokenness, our pain, our need. We can give up our attempts to prove ourselves and acknowledge our need for help and healing.
"Lord, I don't want to be needy.
I want to be strong for you.
But, I can't sustain the pretense any longer
I have nothing to show for all my efforts to look good.
All I have done is shut you out of my life.
Today I acknowledge my need for you, Lord.
I need your healing and your forgiveness.
I am not healthy.
I need a doctor.
I need you.
Amen.
what is rest? just after christ encounters john the baptist, he promises, to all who are weary, that he will give them rest. thus, i'm sure that some of his listeners must have been seeking rest, at some sence of unrest, desiring to find something they could not grasp. rest.
i will give you rest. we still yearn for this rest. and those of us who say that we do not yearn to find it, we lie to ourselves. so be honest with yourself. acknowledge your need for this rest that Christ promises, and seek after it.
i found a comforting notation from dale and juanita ryan, who remind us that christ came for those who are yearning, for those who recognize the chaos in our lives. he did not live for those who have it altogether anyway.
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come tocall the righteous, but sinners. Matthew 9:12
"One of the most remarkable features of the human condition is our capacity to pretend that we are healthy when our lives are in total chaos. We work hard to cover up our problems and flaws in our character. We will sacrifice almost anything to keep from facing the truth about ourselves. We work this hard to look good because we experience our human needs, limits and failures with deep shame - a shame that drives us to strive harder and harder to look better and better. We sacrifice our serenity, our relationships,our sanity on the altar of perfectionism. We also sacrifice any possibility of getting the help we need by continuing to insist that "we can handleit."God does not ask such sacrifices from us. God has no need for us to be perfect. Jesus speaks to us gently but very clearly about this issue. He confronts our pretense, shame and perfectionistic strivings. He says in effect "youdo not have to sacrifice yourself in this way.
"You do not have to driveyourself like this. I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I want you to learn tobe mercy-full to yourself. Be compassionate with yourself. It will free you to accept your need of healing. It will allow you to acknowledge your longing for me." Jesus was saying "I did not come to pass out blue ribbons to the peoplewho have all the answers and have worked hard to prove themselves. I came to bring hope and healing to people who know they need help." We can stop shaming and condemning ourselves because God does not shame or condemnus. God knows our brokenness, our pain, our need. We can give up our attempts to prove ourselves and acknowledge our need for help and healing.
"Lord, I don't want to be needy.
I want to be strong for you.
But, I can't sustain the pretense any longer
I have nothing to show for all my efforts to look good.
All I have done is shut you out of my life.
Today I acknowledge my need for you, Lord.
I need your healing and your forgiveness.
I am not healthy.
I need a doctor.
I need you.
Amen.
1 comment:
this is not the dialogue i had in mind....
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