New Year Resolution

As 2014 approached I read Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30

 “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and You will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

    After reading this passage I put on my New Year resolution that I wanted to discover what true rest in Christ means. (Keep in mind that at the same time I read this passage I was preparing for the biggest exam of my career: NCLEX, so rest was something I was seeking and could not find due to anxiety). So my New Year resolution became something of a prayer and I had no idea what it would look like but it has always been something that I crave: to let anxiety and life melt away and find TRUE rest.         
    Tonight I went to a Holy Yoga life-group and I realized when I was reflecting on those 2 hours that this is God’s answer to my New Year resolution. At tonight’s Holy Yoga we talked about how we need to put Jesus in the center of our lives. For women especially, this means slowing down. As we talked in our small group a common theme was that we like to say “yes” to everyone which makes us frantically busy leaving us feeling exhausted and having no time with Jesus. We talked about saying “no” to people sometimes to lessen our commitments and focus on what is important.

I went through this phase of craziness in high school and my first few years of college. I played sports, I was involved in about 6 different church activities, I worked multiple jobs, and I went to school. My schedule was packed and I ended up feeling exhausted with my head in a whirlwind half of the time. So I cut back. I re-evaluated my commitments and chose what was most important to me and where my passions led me to spend my time.

   Even with this cut back in commitments there is still a key piece missing: what to do with this new found time? I often consider my time catching up on Dancing with the Stars, The Voice, or Survivor my “rest” time but this is not the “rest” God has for me that He speaks of in Matthew 11. TV, movies, pinterest, and social media are forms of relaxation rooted in distraction. In contrast, I experienced Jesus’ rest and Jesus’ yoke tonight at Holy Yoga. It is time to refocus on God and place Him back in the center of my life through physical and mental rest. Holy Yoga doesn't distract me from life but rather enhances my life and relationship with God. Holy Yoga is not somehow magical in itself. It's the music, Christian instructor, and, ultimately, the focus of my heart that create the restful worship. It is all about inviting the Holy Spirit into life and rest.

   God works in mysterious ways as He answers our prayers, even when it’s in the form of a New Year resolution. I hope to explore His rest more and more and to take up His yoke daily through scripture, prayer, and Holy Yoga.