Delivered from frustration . . .

This morning the telephone woke me from a deep sleep and a vivid dream. My hubby took care of the phone as I tried to get my head around the sudden change that was going on. My dream was so real that being in a different place was confusing. I spent several minutes adjusting to the reality of morning and where I was.

Interesting that today’s reading begins with the necessity of Christians to have minds ready to act, thinking soberly and not like a drunk person — or someone who has been dreaming! My hope should always be in the grace that God brings, not on the outcome of a complex dream!

This is what the Bible says:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:13–19)

Dream analysis is not my forte except to say that few of them are about spiritual truths; most deal with ‘former ignorance’ stuff, particularly the frustration of not being able to do something because of interruptions or things like dropping books or missing a bus, all a far cry from God’s call to be holy. I especially like the phrase, “ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers” because my dream involved feelings of futility and not being able to accomplish what I was trying to do. This passage tells me that I have been ransomed or purchased by the blood of Christ that delivers me from such frustration.

This ties to the theme of ‘rest’ in Hebrews. That ‘rest’ is a total rest from my own labors in order to do the will of God. It is like a Sabbath rest imitating God who rested after the work of creation, but it goes beyond that. Like every other human, I’ve tried to run my life without God, which is the essence of sin, and Jesus gives me rest from that. He invites me into that rest with these words:

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)

I once did some research on this passage and discovered that the ‘heavy laden’ part refers to a weighty piece of cargo while the ‘light burden’ part that Jesus gives refers to the invoice. In other words, Jesus does not expect me to carry the big loads of life. His rest is not always bodily (it often takes energy to serve Him) but the soul that carries the load that Jesus gives is not stressed and feeling over-burdened. Futility is not part of this picture.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, the past week has been physically challenging. An unstoppable nosebleed was bad enough; the cure was and is worse. I feel exhausted, yet the dream I had and Your words to me now show me that I’m taking on a burden that You are not giving me. I need to quit thinking that I must conquer that burgeoning to-do list and let You give me Your lighter burden, one that suits Your plan. Being spiritually ambitious is okay but resting in You is essential. I cannot carry even the invoice unless You have given it to me.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- feeling the lightness of letting Jesus plan my day.

- a nice long visit with a neighbor and quilting buddy who dropped by for tea.

- making it through the day without a long nap.

- getting outside for a few minutes.

- taking time to pray even though I didn’t think I had the time.

- getting some things checked on that to-do list that I didn’t expect would get done.