finding solace on the smoking porch

around noon on a saturday afternoon, i tried to find solace in a warm cup of coffee, a warm spring breeze and the four thousand incendiary ingredients in my cigarette. but alas, i felt almost crushed by the weight of monotonous work, ministerial responsibility and academic drudgery. but then, whispering through the soft northern breeze i heard the voice of my Savior, "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 in your souls."

in that moment, i collapsed into Christ, wherein i found rest from:

pastoral responsibility
the accusations of conscience
the persistent, piercing voice of self-rejection
the futility of punching buttons
my failure to be present to those i love
the consequences of past sin
my fear of commodifying Christ
the parable that i am to pen for homiletics class
my barely submerged longing for home
my failure to listen and speak life into those i love
my increasing fear of death
the pervasive doubt that consistently counters my faith
and the list goes on.

dear God, i am so thankful for this momentary experience of the rest that both is and is to come. send your Spirit to guide me towards a deeper understanding and experience of the rest that is available in Christ.

my prayer for you, sinners and saints, friends and foes, commenters and lurkers, is that you too will collapse into Christ and so find rest for your weary and burdened souls.