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Showing posts with the label Learning the hard way

Yoked to Jesus

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“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, 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 light.” †  Mathew 11: 28-30  What is the labour and burden that Jesus is asking me to deal with? Perhaps I have to let go of the compulsive burden (or is it a sort of entitlement?) that my spouse and children should choose a spiritual path that I know to be right. Jesus accompanied Judas Iscariot to the very end but never deprived him of his freedom to choose his own destiny. Jesus on the other hand, uninterrupted by Judas's choice to reject him, continues to accomplish his mission. He does become a victim of Judas's betrayal but he seldom takes on the victim's identity. In divine wisdom, Jesus chooses to die in our place (and that of Judas) in a redeeming act of love. Rather than being compelled to fix those whom God has entrusted to my headship by m

Learning the hard way

We would like God to correct us if we go wrong. But when He does, we rebel having to change. The book of Job says "Happy is the man whom God corrects" [5:17] Correction demands breaking and a defenseless acceptance of defeat. Rarely do we amend our ways if God uses someone to correct us. God's correction escapes us either because we are not sensitive enough to discern or our ego doesn't permit us to change. Like the prodigal son, we choose to learn the hard way having to eat what is assigned to pigs. Our unteachability leads us to learn it the hard way. When God uses a difficult situation to correct us, the darkness may linger on without a distant light to anchor our hope. But when we have successfully yielded to this pedagogy of God, we emerge in the light, a light bright enough to lead us through imminent tunnels joyfully. This experiential learning leaves us with deep conviction about what is pleasing to God. But better is to accept correction as it com