Christ paid for Homework. January 23, 2012

Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  This applies to everyone, but not everyone applies it.  This is a gift that Christ offers to those who labor  under depression, sin, exhaustion, and even school work.

I am a high school student, I know some of what laboring under a heavy burden means.  Homework is tough, my life is crammed with hard things.  Weekends are almost non-existent, rest is unheard of, procrastination is my worst enemy, I wake up tired every morning, I avoid eating, and my work is never done.  This kind of burden is even mentioned in the Bible! Solomon wrote: “Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.”

I have a habit of plugging on through and wading through my studies without a thought about if I’m approaching them right… with the occasional breakdown.  Either I’m a psycho or this is the life of many high school students.

The fact is we’re not doing it right at all.  We are suffering under a burden that Christ already bought from us.  Yes, He bought the stress of schoolwork.  He died so that we could rest in His peace every day life which means even in school.

I’m not saying that you don’t have to work, by all means work your hardest.  But you don’t need to live a frantic life.  When we live frantically the devil slips in and tears us apart piece by piece.  He separates us from our loved ones and creates a gap between you and God.  Don’t let that happen.  Work unto Christ for he has completed the work and offers us rest both now and forever.

Let Christ have what he paid for.  Give it up. Let go.  It is already finished.  

Look at your work in the light of Christ’s completion.  Rest in Him.

Love and Cellists January 17, 2012

People invest in relationships how they invest in music nowadays.  Pretty much: Take it or leave it… whichever takes your fancy at the time.  In one way our culture is right about this.  We should invest in all relationships and commitments how like we would invest in music.  But that is not how music is invested in.  

When you begin a career in music you are terrible at it… the sounds that escape from your instrument are hardly recognizable.  But you are determined to get the skill down so you stick with it.  When I began learning the cello my mom made me stick with it that first year.  I cried every practice session.  It was so hard and I just wanted to quit.  I changed from teacher to teacher and gained a little more knowledge and a little more.  My love for my cello grew into a passion for a couple short years then faded and rekindled, faded, and rekindled again but eventually died out.  8 years later I was practicing just because I had to.  I told myself it was hopeless, I would never be able to love it again, I would never be able to make something beautiful with my wooden-true-love.

Then just recently… ok fine just tonight. 🙂 I pulled out my cello again and played it.  God whispered something to me then.  He told me that I had made something beautiful because I had stuck to it.  I had made something beautiful because it wasn’t perfect and I offered it to God anyways.  I had made something beautiful because I loved something… truly.

So think about this in the light of a relationship or a marriage, or any commitment.  When we start out, we blunder, cry, are frustrated, and want to leave it for things that come easier to us.    You begin to get the hang of it and love it to no end! But soon it doesn’t hold any magic for you and it’s not “fun” anymore.  You may quit or you may not.  Some things you really should quit.  But some things you should hang onto until your dying breath.  If you truly love someone or something and the love seems to die, never never never never never never let go.  If you hold on not only will the love come back, but it will come back so that you have something real to show for your struggle.  Other people may not see it but you will, and no one will be able to take that from you.  You will have something that truly beautiful.