Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[Transcript of “A 5 minute cuppa” published by Horley Baptist Church on YouTube^[1], May 2021]

Hi everyone, welcome to ‘a five minute cuppa’. This is the place that you can come any time of day, just for five minutes, to relax, put your feet up, have a cuppa and listen to a few words to help you grow in your relationship with God.

I wonder what kind of worrier you are. Do you have anxieties about all kinds of little things or are you the kind of person that saves your worries for real calamities? You might even be the kind of person that has to think about a worst possible scenario every day in case it happens, just to make sure you’re ready for it.

Worrying seems to be part of the human condition, we all do it. The habit of worrying can take over our thought patterns, sap us of energy and stop us enjoying our life. We all know worrying isn’t good for our mental or physical health so how can our God relationship help us to live closer to the way our father originally planned?

You’re probably all familiar with these words of Jesus from Matthew’s gospel: “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden light.”

My favourite account of these words comes from the Message version of the Bible and they bring home to me even more God’s desire for us to live free from our own deep concerns and worries. “Are you tired, worn out? Come to me, get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me, watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you, keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

What truly amazing words! That whatever paws at us and perturbs us in our day, whoever needs our attention, whatever difficult decisions we need to understand or make, whatever questions we cannot answer, these things can weigh lightly on us in a way that keeps our spirit settled and secure, and with the confidence that comes from knowing that God has everything in hand.

In recent years as I have taken on great responsibility for the lives and well-being of others. In my work life and home life I’ve needed to learn how to give up the things that so easily weigh me down and take up that light burden instead. I’ve found that the key to doing something differently is to always transform or change the way that I think first. Simply put, just get those words into my mind so that they are just as prominent as the way I breathe. Thank you, God, that I can come to you when I’m worn out, I can walk with you and you’ll show me the way to do it. You won’t lay anything ill-fitting on me, you will help me to live freely and lightly.

Once the words are in my mind, I ask for them to move to my heart so that I have a full understanding of what they mean so I can really live them out. I remember vividly God reminding me that he never slumbers or sleeps but he is always able to work on the things that are concerning me when I’m tired or unwell or asleep, and the outcome doesn’t depend solely on my efforts. God invites me to be a co-worker in what he’s doing and I can definitely play a part but he is the centre point, the kingpin, not me.

Once this head realization moved to my inner being I found I was able to still care deeply about situations and people but in a way that didn’t become heavy and burdensome. The habit of worrying was displaced by the habit of giving up the burdens to God and trusting him to keep working on them even when I no longer could.

Do you need to discover how to walk with a light burden? It’s absolutely for us all; just ask if you can keep him company. He’ll never say no to that.

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[1] YouTube link: The Light Burden
Bible references: Matthew 11 v28-30
 

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