Overburdened by Choice

Let me tell you a little bit about the love/hate relationship I have with Target. I generally walk into Target with an objective, a certain thing to buy, but then proceed to get distracted by just about everything in my path. Going in to purchase face wash, I end up walking around the store with my arms full of green spatulas, packs of gum, bobby pins, tube socks and new pens (Pilot G-2 to be precise...best pens ever). And because I always assume that I'll be able to practice self-control and will only go in to get the one thing I came for, I never get a cart or basket. Thus, I spend my time walking around Target doing a balancing act, attempting to carry all my extra purchases without any help. I struggle with handling the extra things I have added to my shopping experience.

I was thinking about this today and thinking how this is exactly what I do with my life. I add so many unnecessary things and worries to my life that don't need to be there. I go into each day telling myself to keep focused on God and allow him to control my actions and thoughts. But I get distracted by the little things of life--by unfinished schoolwork, by comparing myself to others and what they have, by the need to watch the new episode of Lost, the need to clean my house or get an oil change, and the stress of balancing commitments. Though I began my day with the objective of keeping focused on God, I fall prey to the tempations to stress, buy, overcommit, be like everyone else, and more. And with each additional "yes" to the temptations of the world, I become weighted down by the burdens I carry and struggle to balance all the additional things I have added to my life.

But I am then reminded of the beautiful passage from Scripture in which Jesus says to us, "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, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). We freely choose to become overwhelmed by the demands of life and the stress they bring. We freely choose to rely on ourselves and ignorantly think we can handle everything that life throws at us without the help of grace. And even worse, so many times we think that handing our worries and stresses over to Jesus will mean that we will have to carry the heavier load of discipleship and that he won't actually give us the restfulness he promises.

But as we hear in this passage, it is simply in the act of bringing all to Jesus and commiting our lives to him that we find rest and help. And so today, in each of the stresses that the day will surely bring, let us turn to Christ, offering these things and every action of the day. Let us trust that he will be there to support us and free us from the self-imposed burdens of our lives. Let us place ourselves calmly and peacefully in the presence of Christ whose grace and love aid us in the busyness of our everyday lives. Peace to you, my friends.