We Were Made for This

The Gospel is Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

What does Jesus mean when he says, “I will give you rest"? What is he asking us to do when he invites us to “take my yoke upon you,” and to learn from him?

Rest happens when our true nature is realized, and we live in harmony with ourselves, our neighbors, nature and with God. He’s not inviting us to loaf, but rather to live from our true self, who we are in God.

Our ego self, our surface self, has its place in the first half of life, but it was never who we truly are in God. We can find rest from the constant effort of shoring up our small self.

The yoke, the work He asks us, is not onerous because we are yoked with Him in performing God’s work. We were created for the work He asks us to do, to bring forth God’s Kingdom on earth by loving God and loving our neighbors.

We come to know God by learning from Jesus, watching and imitating Jesus, so we in turn can become Christ for others and continually pour ourselves out for God and neighbor, receiving the same, again and again all in one Divine flow.

We long for this deep, intimate relationship with God and to return to our true self and His purpose of our lives. We were made for this.

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.