Bread For The Journey

Come to me and I will give you rest, all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke. Wear my yoke for it fits perfectly and let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls; for I give you only light burdens. Matthew 11:28-30

I remember as a little child looking so forward to Sunday's. My mother often had a nice meal prepared for us children and we were always allowed to invite friends to our home. The chores had been completed on Saturday and much of the food had been prepared earlier. Sunday was a day of rest and we were finally allowed to play.

This month our pastor has talked about resting in Jesus. And somehow it really triggered a lot of things that I've been thinking about. He asked us if we had heard about the new illness called "Hurried Sickness" which meant rushing anxiously in an overwhelming state. He moved on to say that our busyness is the major distraction that keeps us from finding real rest in what Jesus considered soul rest which means to trust in God fully worthy of our faith.

The iPhone was invented 10 years ago and how our world has changed. Are you addicted to your smartphone? You check it in the bathroom, you check it at meal times, you check it at the movies, you check it in church, you check it when you are having dinner with friends. There's a constant compulsion to check it. Statistics show that 75% of the people use up an entire day of the week just checking their phones. I was appalled at those statistics. I have found myself often frantically looking for my phone and have been heard repeatedly stating these words, "I wish I had a tether around my phone."

This week I had coffee with two individual friends who both own their own businesses. One was frantically on her cell phone half the time, while the other gal had her cell phone in her purse.
I realize that we feel that we can manage our busy schedules much better with all these high tech products. But really, are we managing better or are we experiencing emotional exhaustion?

Let's find a 'digital sweet spot' on your phone, meaning that you will take a measure of your own phone habits. If you are watching two hours of Facebook or Instagram, try to reduce your time to one hour. How about setting up some free-zone times, like maybe two hours during dinner time or when visiting with guests.

The words of Jesus above are such a comfort. Soul rest is not circumstantial but is rooted in faith and confidence knowing that we are held safe in the arms of Jesus. I love how he offers us gentleness and humility. He knows each one of us and our demands on life. Find yourself a spot of tranquility where you can experience soul rest and let's be tethered to Jesus Christ rather than listening constantly to the siren sounds of a cell phone.