Resting in Him...

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

It's 3:30am here in Spokane and I've been up for an hour. 
The early morning school ritual begins. Make the coffee, read Jesus Calling, have my prayer time and grade papers.

Yet somehow this back to school routine is a comfort. 

All day long yesterday I just felt so grateful to be doing what I am doing. I looked at my students and saw their hearts. I was
delighted they were in my class and that I would get to share
in twelve weeks of their lives. What an honor it is, since I teach Communication Studies, to get a look into who they really are.

The morning/afternoon schedule looks like this:
Get to school at 6am (instead of last year's 5:30), teach four classes in a row, do office hours, help advise a club on campus, and committee work (which I am choosing to do less of this year).

As long as I focus on God and know that this is His plan for me, the energy and love is there to be fully present during those hours.

I'm working on getting more rest, a bit more sleep. Taking a nap after work is a true pleasure.

Yet focusing on God, truly focusing on Him, is not always an easy habit for me. Turning over the hard parts, really letting them GO, is a challenge. And there have been some tough  challenges lately.

Not everything this week has been easy. There have been some very scary moments. Some of my dearest ones are struggling with some tough health issues. 

However, as my friend Robynn said in a blog post, "I'm learning I am not God and I can't fix everything." When I read those words she wrote on Vicky's blog I thought..."This lady is a soul sister of mine!"

Me too, Robynn. Me too! Amen and Amen again! 

It's not easy to give up trying to be in charge, trying to fix things for those who are nearest and dearest. Trying to make right that which just won't fall into place.

But the older I get, and hopefully wiser too, the more I realize that trying to "fix things" for others can take me down a slippery slop. It's exhausting to take it all on.

Truth be told, it's impossible and it's not my job anyway.

I'm not sure when I took on the job of trying to fix things and make them right for everyone. Clearly only God can do this and trying to do God's job, instead of relying and trusting that
He is fully capable of doing His job, is almost humorous.

I may get on my knees, ask for His help, tell Him my worries,
turn them over to Him... and then not five minutes later, take them all back again.

And what comes with this worry, worry, worry cycle is spiritual, physical and emotional exhaustion.

Worry + more worry = no rest at all.

That's why I have always loved Matthew 11:28. When I read it and say it out loud I almost always let out a big sigh.
Audible relief! 

It's His promise and God is a trustworthy promise keeper.

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened." And what He is kind enough not to say is that I am more weary and more burdened because I don't always truly trust Him to fix things.

"And I will give you rest." Ahhhh....the sound of that promise soothes my weary soul.

So today my prayer for me, and for you, is that we rest in Him, not ourselves. That we truly turn over our burdens to the Lord God Almighty. He can hold them. He can fix them. He can handle them.

The One who made the heavens and the earth can surely take care of all of my worries. And He can take care of yours too.

What is worrying you? Do you have burdens that you need rest from?

God Bless!
Love, 
Linda