I will sometimes remind my clients that even Jesus retreated from the crowds to rest. Because he was fully human. he experienced the same needs we do. He embraced those limitations by taking moments to be alone with God. He took the time to wrap himself in God's presence without the interference of the rest of the world. That ability to take a time out and focus on the one thing that is truly important, our relationship with God, is something that we can all use.
Last night, I found myself having difficulty sleeping. I have been working to preparing some marketing, dealing with taxes, seeing clients and found myself behind. At the last minute, friends of ours came for a visit. It was an opportunity to show God's love to our friends who were struggling. I found the visit peaceful, restful and full of the kind of grace and love that shows up when you are doing the work he gives you.
When they left, I started to think about my ever-increasing workload and began to think of the experience as more of a distraction than a blessing. Then I realized something that I had started to overlook. God's burden is light. He is not a heavy-handed task master. As I sit here writing this morning, that feeling of grace and peace has returned, because I know in this moment that I am doing the right thing. Although I feel the weight of abuse and violence swirling in the world around me, I need to take the time to rest and sleep just as Jesus did in a boat in the middle of the storm.
Whatever your storm looks like, know that God is in control. Know that his burden is light and when you start to feel overcome and rushed, take a step back from the world and acknowledge your own limits. The limits he made you with. The limits he knows you have and gave you the blessing of his son to cover.