Walking In The Rhythms Of Grace
With Margaret Cramp
This series in church focused around Matthew 11:28 has been so timely and refreshing!
“Are you tired, worn out, burned out on religion…. Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Freely and lightly is not how the last couple of years have felt, especially working in critical care through a global pandemic… Seeing the worn out expressions of exhausted nurses and doctors and feeling helpless in the face of so much grief and loss had taken a toll.
Holding onto hope and being a light during this season at times felt so heavy, burdensome and overwhelming.. It was a yoke I felt wholly ill equipped to carry. I had been trying to carry so much stuff in my own strength, using my own resources and sheer determination and it had gotten me pretty far but I was oh so tired and ready to pack it all in and go play with puppies at Battersea dog home!
I thought, this is all too much for one person, too much responsibility to carry, too much sadness to bear. Just. Too. Much. Until the Holy Spirit revealed some welcome home truths that released the burden and bathed me once again in mercy, grace and love.
I did NOT have to carry it ALONE.
It really was simple - come to Me, cast your cares on Me, walk with Me and work with Me. Here I was all along thinking that’s what I was doing. Turns out you can only get so far on your own merit and effort but unless you stay connected to THE ultimate source of power, grafted into the vine and taking strength from being rooted and grounded in Him, we can become overwhelmed, drained of energy and our joy can get depleted.
So this series has invigorated my hope and my joy as I wonder again at the amazing grace of my Father who called me by name, redeemed me from the burden of sin and death, and set me free to live abundantly and lightly and who sealed my inheritance through the Holy Spirit. All so that I can do life in the knowledge of who I am in Christ and to walk in step with him and learn from him and do what he does.. To love as I have been loved, to forgive as I have been forgiven, to offer mercy and grace just as I have received mercy and grace.. And walk in tandem with Jesus as He carries this yoke with me, bringing His hope, His love and His message of good news wherever I tread.
