by Kala Loptien

Find Rest

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this Soundcloud link. 

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt 11:28

I’m realizing that this week has a heavy theme– a common thread that continues to weave its way into conversations, messages and prayer requests. Feeling out of control of our circumstances is a challenging place to be. But, as I’ve experienced and witnessed, it’s also what can bring us to our knees.

I listened to updates about a friend’s brother as he fights for his life after a heart attack. I consoled a group of sobbing first grade girls who desperately want to be friends but haven’t figured out how. A coworker is considering her next phase of life in retirement: the whens, wheres and hows. A few close friends are deployed in dangerous parts of the world while their families continue life here. Another friend shared her gut-wrenching grief process after the loss of her newborn.

We can make plans and try our best to follow a set schedule; but life doesn’t always go according to plan. In fact, in all of our lives, I would venture to guess there have been a handful of plot twists. You think the story is going one way when, suddenly, it takes a hard left into uncharted territory. What’s our response? Do we try with all our might to control everything and everybody? Do we feel like we’ve failed because things didn’t go to plan? Or are we angry, bitter, apathetic? That’s the exhausting way.

God encourages us to let Him handle it. He is at work constantly, arranging and rearranging pieces. He goes before us and knows what’s coming. What good does it do for us to worry? We know the final outcome anyway. When we fix our eyes on Jesus and we trust the Lord with our heart, soul and mind, we know HE is in control. We know HE will take care of us – one way or another. It’s amazing what happens when we surrender all to Him. We actually feel that peace. We actually find that rest. I pray you find that today.