Thoughts For Your Growth

I’ve learned that practicing Silence and Solitude is the spiritual equivalent to resting after a hard workout. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, you don’t actually get stronger from going to the gym. Lifting weights only serves to stress the muscles and break them down. And that stress is what causes growth to take place. Without it, your body wouldn’t have a reason to grow.

But the exercise itself doesn’t make your muscles grow stronger. The process of rest and recovery does that. So if you didn't give your muscles enough time to recover and you continued to work out every day, you’d end up breaking down your body more and more until you injured yourself and/or made yourself sick. This is your body's way of taking the rest it needs whether you’re willing to give it or not.

Have you ever thought about Jesus' command to take on his yoke and burden and wondered what He meant when he promised it would be “easy” and “light.” Anyone who’s been a Christian for any significant time will tell you that following Jesus isn’t always easy. It costs a lot! It takes all of your effort! By choosing the narrow road to life, you invite upon yourself all kinds of trials, hardships, and suffering.

So what is Jesus talking about in Matthew 11:29-30 when he promised that His Way is actually the easy one?

Because of our desire to grow and succeed, we can often become too focused on the techniques and tools required for us to reach our goals. We can easily forget that our calling to do is an extension of our calling to be.

For disciples of Jesus Christ, there is nothing more important than the voice of God calling us. His call bestows upon us our identity as a His children. Through His call, we become the people we were meant to be. Because of his calling, we are given the opportunity to follow Christ.