Stressed Out?

“Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water!
Are you penniless?
Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
Buy without money—everything’s free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food, your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best, fill yourself with only the finest.
-Isaiah 55:1-3

“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

Halt.  Stop.  Stop it.  Freeze.  Before you take a negative thought, before you say something negative, and before you beat yourself or someone else up... just halt.  Hey there, ho!  Can you hear me?  You look tired, thirsty, hungry, and lonely.  God sees you and so do I.

When you are tired, hungry, thirsty, or lonely; you need a re-charge, you need a rest.  Take care of the rest.  I repeat, take care of your rest.  God designed us to work and rest.  God designed us to need people and to need relationship with him.  Are you on empty again?  Get filled up, get re-charged.

On the one hand, we are called, but some don't get the call; to a life of service, a life of ministry.  But, on the other hand we are called to a life of rest, living by grace; by the rhythms of grace, which are work empowered by God, then rest in God.  That's the way that Jesus showed us to live and work.