A Lenten Reflection
Picking up or Letting Go
"For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Jesus, speaking in Matthew 11:30
We've hit the half way period of Lent, and some are struggling with keeping a grasp on all the things they wanted to give up for Lent. Are they staying true to the fast (if they chose to fast)...are they praying as they wanted to, are they studying as they wanted to, are they doing the acts of charity...so on and so forth.... it can be exhausting! We pick up so many things at Lent to add to our daily lives...and juggling it all becomes unmanageable at times.
Lent, which calls us to a closer communion with Jesus as we journey to the Cross through such activities as prayer, reflection and Scripture, can be a spotlight for our habit of trying to "do enough"....and in the midst of a this holy season, we can forget something very important....
We can't "do enough."
Because....it's all already been done.
Jesus did it all.
He completed His work here on earth; He taught, He loved, He walked the road to the Cross and then went upon the Cross for us. He gave His life, He tasted death, and He overcame it.
He did the work. It is finished. Complete and perfect.
The point of Lent is not to exhaust ourselves by picking up too many burdens...too many "to-do's"....the message of Lent is to abide. To rest in Christ and draw near to Him. Prayer should be a time of communion with Jesus, not a mark off on the checklist. Scripture reading is to deepen your faith and understanding, not extra credit. Reflecting upon what Christ did for us helps to keep us humble and grateful; it's not something to carry as a weight.
And fasting, giving to charity, all of the good things that so many strive to do during Lent are fine, in and of themselves...but not when they become burdens, not when they become "points you earn"...not when they become bragging rights. Just as Jesus taught us that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27)...so it is with these precious days leading up to the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord. Activities such as fasting and alms giving are good when done in the love of the Lord, out of the joy of being with the Lord...but they are not weights to draw you down. They are not meant to make you feel like you're drowning in your daily life.
If you're feeling exhausted....put a few things down, just for a bit. Put down the obligations you laid upon yourself (and while you're at it, try putting down worry, and anger, and whatever else might be impeding your ability to abide, and rest, in Christ Jesus).....put it down.
And in that space where you can breathe again...remember, God has done it all. It is finished, He has won.
Jesus tells us His yoke is easy, His burden is light....stop laying heavy loads upon yourself, but instead....come rest in Jesus.
Walk with Him as we go towards the Cross, confide to Him in prayer, reach out to Him in love and trust. The path has already been laid and tread, the battle has already been won...and the Lord who bested death and sin itself is our guide.
We need not worry about "doing enough"....it has all been done.
On towards the Cross,
-Beth Haynes Butler
Picking up or Letting Go
"For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Jesus, speaking in Matthew 11:30
We've hit the half way period of Lent, and some are struggling with keeping a grasp on all the things they wanted to give up for Lent. Are they staying true to the fast (if they chose to fast)...are they praying as they wanted to, are they studying as they wanted to, are they doing the acts of charity...so on and so forth.... it can be exhausting! We pick up so many things at Lent to add to our daily lives...and juggling it all becomes unmanageable at times.
Lent, which calls us to a closer communion with Jesus as we journey to the Cross through such activities as prayer, reflection and Scripture, can be a spotlight for our habit of trying to "do enough"....and in the midst of a this holy season, we can forget something very important....
We can't "do enough."
Because....it's all already been done.
Jesus did it all.
He completed His work here on earth; He taught, He loved, He walked the road to the Cross and then went upon the Cross for us. He gave His life, He tasted death, and He overcame it.
He did the work. It is finished. Complete and perfect.
The point of Lent is not to exhaust ourselves by picking up too many burdens...too many "to-do's"....the message of Lent is to abide. To rest in Christ and draw near to Him. Prayer should be a time of communion with Jesus, not a mark off on the checklist. Scripture reading is to deepen your faith and understanding, not extra credit. Reflecting upon what Christ did for us helps to keep us humble and grateful; it's not something to carry as a weight.
And fasting, giving to charity, all of the good things that so many strive to do during Lent are fine, in and of themselves...but not when they become burdens, not when they become "points you earn"...not when they become bragging rights. Just as Jesus taught us that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27)...so it is with these precious days leading up to the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord. Activities such as fasting and alms giving are good when done in the love of the Lord, out of the joy of being with the Lord...but they are not weights to draw you down. They are not meant to make you feel like you're drowning in your daily life.
If you're feeling exhausted....put a few things down, just for a bit. Put down the obligations you laid upon yourself (and while you're at it, try putting down worry, and anger, and whatever else might be impeding your ability to abide, and rest, in Christ Jesus).....put it down.
And in that space where you can breathe again...remember, God has done it all. It is finished, He has won.
Jesus tells us His yoke is easy, His burden is light....stop laying heavy loads upon yourself, but instead....come rest in Jesus.
Walk with Him as we go towards the Cross, confide to Him in prayer, reach out to Him in love and trust. The path has already been laid and tread, the battle has already been won...and the Lord who bested death and sin itself is our guide.
We need not worry about "doing enough"....it has all been done.
On towards the Cross,
-Beth Haynes Butler
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