We get so weary of it all, the on-going never ending battle of keeping our head above water. And then there’s the spiritual side of it. Why does it have to be so hard? Why doesn’t God make it easier for us? Happiness seems to elude us and we truly want to live with a happy take on life.

But it takes some effort.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

Labor is up next. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden. This seeks us where we live, those places of separation in our spiritual life where despair or pain keeps us distant from God.

Labor is common to all humanity. When giving birth, the labor is intense, painful, absorbing but with a purpose. We don’t mind the labor (for the most part) because we know the end result that will make it worth the struggle. Most labor is difficult, hard, sometimes punishing, sometimes lonely, sometimes more that we think we can bear, often demanding a lot of us. Usually, we don’t have much say or choice in the matter.

Labor requires effort. This is true in the spiritual realm. It is laborious and time consuming to work through our areas of struggle, pain, and past experiences. But we are laboring to get somewhere. We really are. But first we must recognize that the labor serves a purpose.

Labor is the daily struggle of life.

Labor is the burden, the self-effort, the redundancy. The first thing I think of as it relates to labor is being tired, tired of striving, weary of life, the endless circumstances of life. At times, the labor defines its burden, its hopelessness, its discouragement. It can be the result of pain and injustice; the unfairness, the lack of acknowledgement of our worth by those in our lives—family, co-workers, even people in our own church families who are abrupt, critical, disapproving, or angry with us.

There is a weariness with life. It is an empty feeling with a sense of running in place but getting nowhere, a sense of stagnation and loss. These are the threads that weave throughout our lives. God understands this. But He wants us to respond differently than the ordinary way. He wants us to turn, decidedly turn, to Him with all our stuff, not as a complaint but as a child to their parent who says, “Please help me. I need some help, please.” God desires for us to turn to Him with all our weariness and heartaches. It is because He is a great comforter. And He will never abandon us.

It’s purpose? Labor teaches us to depend on God to help us in the hard times. And, we learn that He is a sufficiency to us. We also learn that God is trustworthy. He will never forsake us even when the going is hard. In fact, if we open up to Him, by coming as a little child, He will prove to be a friend to us.

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But sometimes we get over-weary and over-burdened down. We all do, sometimes the problems rush up to meet us when we’re already down and struggling. In the next post in the series, we will talk about that. Topic: Heavy laden.

LINKS:

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©N. L. Brumbaugh

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