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“Come to Me, All Who Labor”

%22Come to Me, All Who Labor%22

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” –Jesus, ESV

Matthew 11:28-30 is one of the most frequently quoted Bible passages regarding labor versus rest. For me personally, it has a more literal significance. As a little girl in the Presbyterian church I grew up in, I would lay my head down on my father’s lap as the sermon began. As I drifted off to sleep, this verse was the last thing my blurry eyes focused on. It was painted on the front inside wall of the sanctuary. These beautiful words penetrated my mind and heart every Sunday, even as a young reader and child of immature faith taking rest more immediately than perhaps the passage intended.

“Come to me, all who #labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you #rest.” –Jesus #Matthew11_28

— Bonnie Lyn Smith (@BonnieLynSmith) September 5, 2016

The best part was when I figured out it was Jesus doing the talking. When it’s Jesus talking in the Bible, it’s a promise I can hang my hat on.

It seems to me that rest is more or less what Labor Day seeks to offer us in its recognition of the “social and economic achievements of American workers” by taking off a day for observance.

But, what does it mean to really labor in a biblical sense? What does God require of us? How do we then get to the rest part? Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Bonnie Lyn Smith on September 5, 2016 in Meaningful Holidays, Relationship with God, Renewing Our Minds

Tags: all who labor, come to me, hand to the plow, heavy laden, i will give you rest, labor, labor day, labor versus rest, labor vs. rest, Matthew 11:28, rest, rest for our souls, rest for your souls, reward for our labor, SAHM, stay-home parent, take my yoke, weary soul, why should we work, why we should work, work unto the Lord, yoke is easy

Does Your Weary Heart Need to Find Safe Harbor?

30 Mar

This past week, I came crashing into Thursday morning. Ever have one of those days/weeks/years? We’d experienced a few days of inflexibility, stress, and angst. There were a lot of extra appointments and assessments going on for one of my children, and the red flag of “I’ve had enough, Mom!” was going up.

And it’s not that I didn’t see it.

It’s that I didn’t want to. It was inconvenient. I was tired of setting things down for it. I was weary of red flags popping up everywhere, even though they are God-given safety measures I am truly thankful for most days.

As it turns out, when I failed to step up to the plate, my child knew what he needed without me.

Read the rest of this entry »