Day 8

Wednesday, March 12th

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? 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.”

(Matthew 11:28-30 MSG)

I’ve spent so much time wondering where to find this “free, light” life the Bible talks about. Why do I feel so weighed down so much of the time? “Freely and lightly” is a place I visit, but I definitely don’t live there.

The reality is, that the way to a free, light life is not a complicated one. It is not a mystery to be found only by the best and the brightest. God tells us quite plainly how we can “learn to live freely and lightly.”

There is a story I heard once about a farmer and a blizzard. This farmer read the signs from the sky and felt the weight in the air and he knew a winter storm was coming. The farmer knew well the dangers of such a storm. He had heard of a man, another farmer like himself, who had gone from his house to the barn in the middle of a blizzard to feed and water his animals. The snow was thick and the biting wind so strong that, even just a few steps out his door, the blinding white obscured both the barn ahead of him and his house behind him. With his hands stretched out in front of him, he stumbled forward toward where he thought his barn must be. When the storm ended, the man’s frozen body was found a stone’s throw away from his front door. 

Wanting to avoid this man’s fate, the farmer readied for the storm by tying a rope to his front door, stretching it across his yard to the barn and tying it tightly there. He returned to his farmhouse knowing that when the wind and the blinding snow came, his way forward was secure. All he had to do was grab the rope.

“Come to me” Jesus says. 

“Come to me” is our rope. “Come to me” is our way forward through the storm, when we can’t see our way forward. Taking up God’s invitation daily, hourly, to come to him is how we will “learn to live freely and lightly.” 

This is our challenge for the coming weeks. We will grab the rope together daily, practicing “coming to Jesus” through scripture readings and devotionals, through guided prayers and by praying Scripture.

The choice will be in front of you every day.

Will you grab the rope?