Rest for Our Souls

Prayer

Overburdened Souls

Some of you have probably heard of Sheila Walsh, she’s a Christian singer, author, she served as the co-host of the 700 club for time. And she also spent time in a mental hospital.

Sheila experienced terrible trauma in early childhood - as a little 5 year old girl she had a wonderfully close relationship with her father. They loved to sing, she loved his bad jokes…but all that changed one day when he experienced a brain aneurysm one night.

It cause significant brain damage, to point where he could not speak anymore - only grunt. And he was prone to acts of rage and violence.

Tragically, that rage ended up being directed at Sheila. One evening, she was sitting by fireplace, playing. Family dog, Heidi began growling. She looked up, and her dad had his cane, lifted up in the air, about to strike her.

Sheila can’t remember how it exactly happened, whether she pushed or pulled on that cane, but he came crashing down to the ground, roaring in pain. He was placed in an institution - until he escaped and drown himself in salmon nets of a local river.

Hard to imagine how such a young child could even begin to process all that. As young children are wont to do, Sheila carried burden that somehow she was responsible for what happened to her father - that if only she had tried harder, he would not have been so upset with her.

As she grew up, she poured herself into Christian service. Like her father, she was a gifted singer. So sang, and spoke - became co-anchor of Christian TV program. On the outside, her life looked beautifully blessed, full of success and accolades. But on the inside, she was dying. Felt as if she was going crazy. She was deeply unwell.

In her own words, one morning I was sitting on national television with my nice suit and inflatable hairdo and that night I was in the locked ward of a psychiatric hospital.

The very first day in the hospital, the psychiatrist asked me, “Who are you?” “I’m the co-host of the 700 Club.” “That’s not what I meant,” he said. “Well, I’m a writer. I’m a singer.” “That’s not what I meant. Who are you?” “I don’t have a clue,” I said.

Sheila Walsh had buried her pain and anguish and sought validation in success in ministry. “I measured myself by what other people thought of me.”

That measurement, what others thought, is what she had committed herself to - and it was killing her. It was a burden she could no longer bear.

Hugely important question for us to consider - because what we commit ourselves to, what we bind ourselves to - has profound impact for how well our souls are

Which is, of course, what we’re addressing in this sermon series - Is it Well with our Soul”

Our souls are our true selves, our essential personhood - deepest life and power within us.

Main point we’ve been making throughout this series is that our souls are well according to how connected and open we are to God

All of us are committed to something - for most of us, many things. We all have things we are bound to, that we “obey” in a sense that they spur in us a sense of obligation.

We’re committed to our job, our occupation - to varying degrees, some of us highly committed to a career, for others, it’s a job, way to make a living - we get home and we’re done with it.

Relational commitments - marriages, we bind ourselves to our spouses, obligation to love and honor them. We have family commitments - our children, our parents, extended families. We feel burden of those things - provide for our children, support our spouses, if there’s a significant family event (wedding, graduation - to be there, send a gift).

Those are obvious ones - but we can be committed to other things as well.

Most of us have a deep commitment to our own personal happiness, a goal or dream, maybe just our whims and desires. Sometimes, it’s a cause, greater purpose beyond ourselves (ministry, volunteer, seeking justice, political movement).

One of the challenges in life is how we order those burdens, obligations.

Rob Bell tells story of offering pre-marital counseling to a couple, and he could sense hesitation from young man.

Came to find out that young man was deeply worried that getting married, making this commitment to bind himself to this woman, would mean that he was going to have to give up going mountain bike riding. Which, honestly, he might have to from time to time.

But important question is, as we serve these things, how do they serve us?

We pursue them because we think it’s going to get us something…admiration of others, security, love, sense of I’ve been a good person, personal fulfillment.

Sheila Walsh thought she’d find all those things giving her all to Christian service. If I do all these things for God, that will be it. She was wrong. It was crushing her. She got to point of considering taking her own life, just like her father. She literally stood with her feet at the edge of the ocean shore.

How many of us are harried…burdened…stressed…tired? We feel pulled in too many directions. Or that our efforts are never good enough?

A recent report on stress said that 84% of Americans reported feeling at least one emotion (anxiety, sadness, anger), associated with prolonged stress.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (no stress to great deal), average reported stress level was 5.6. Which means, on average, we operate with a persistent level of stress in our lives.

Jesus has an invitation for us - 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.”

Jesus offers this beautiful invitation…if you’re weary…tired…overwhelmed…beat down…come to me. I will give you rest.

Now, we get invitations like this all the time. Mattress that’s so amazing, you just melt into its comfort and drift into deep rest. Hotel that’s so luxurious that you’ll get absolutely pampered as you stay there and all your troubles will fade away. Even a car - amidst all the hustle and bustle, you shut that car door and all that outside noise seems miles away as you cruise down the road.

But Jesus’ invitation is rather interesting - he’s telling us here, that in order to experience the soul rest he gives, you have to take on his yoke. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

Well, that does that mean? What is Jesus’ yoke? What is any yoke? How do you take it on?

Yoke of obedience

Yoke was piece of equipment - in Jesus’ day, made of wood - that would sit on the shoulders of a pair of oxen in order to keep them aligned as they were used to plow a field.

Now, it’s a little curious that Jesus would use image of yoke, because throughout most of the Bible, when we see word “yoke”, it’s in reference to slavery. You have this yoke on you, you’re shouldering load, doing work. That’s what oxen do.

In Old Testament, we see God throwing off the yoke of the Egyptians from the Israelites, freeing them from enslavement.

Even in New Testament, Paul talks about yoke of slavery.

But this image of a yoke had a broader context - taking on a yoke didn’t always mean forced labor - there’s nothing about that we would consider easy, or a light burden. Taking a yoke could also involve voluntarily placing yourself under a commitment, serving someone, being obedient to set of rules or ideas or disciplines.

To take on a yoke is to willingly submit yourself to an occupation or set of obligations.

We do this all time - all examples we talked about at beginning - marriage, having children, your job, volunteering. If you want to get physically healthier, you would willingly submit to disciplines (eating habits, exercise routine so many times a week). If you want to learn a new skill or subject, same thing - read, study, memorize.

Image of yoke in this sense was common thought in Jesus’ day, Rabbi’s would talk about yoke of commandments. That the Jewish people would willingly commit themselves to being obedient to God’s law, Torah.

This is why Jesus says, take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

Greek word for learn is mathete, which is same root word used for disciple, mathetes. To be a disciple is to be a learner, to learn from Jesus how to live. To willingly submit ourselves to a whole new way of life that Jesus will teach us how to live.

Dallas Willard describes it this way in his book, The Spirit of the Disciplines (think about that title, as a disciple, I willingly submit to disciplines)

The secret of the easy yoke, then, is to learn from Christ how to live our total lives, how to invest all our time and our energies of mind and body as he did. We must learn how to follow his preparations, the disciplines for life in God’s rule that enabled him to receive his Father’s constant and effective support while doing his will.

Notice what Willard is saying here - to take on yoke of Jesus is to learn from him - what did Jesus do in his life that enabled him to receive his Father’s constant and effective support while doing his will? In other words, what did Jesus do to stay connected and open to the Father so he could live in way Father wanted him to? Under God’s rule, Kingdom of God.

This is our main point this morning - that in order to experience rest for our souls, for it to be well with our souls, we must submit ourselves to the teachings of Jesus. To hear his words and put them into practice. That our connection and openness to Jesus must include our willingness to obey what he shows us in how to live.

Pete Scazzero spent years in ministry, pastoring a seemingly successful church in New York - but he was angry, stressed out, and his marriage was falling apart. His soul was not well. Because he was not learning from Jesus how to live his life.

In desperation, he began a journey of pursuing emotional health and engaging in contemplative practices, spiritual disciplines - slowing down. Keeping Sabbath. Stopping during middle of day to intentionally abide with Christ - to be connected and open to God.

Transformed his life and ministry and marriage. He was experiencing the easy yoke of Jesus. It was a much better way.

It’s fair to ask, how is it that Jesus’ yoke is so light, that his burden is easy to bear.

Because, let’s be honest, submitting yourself to something, set of practices or teachings, can be burdensome.

Getting up in morning to exercise. Hard. Giving up things you enjoy. Hard.

But you know what can be more burdensome? Living by your whims. Relying on motivation when time comes. Jocko Willink, who served as a Navy Seal, teaches that path to freedom is discipline. Engaging in regular habits that dictate your daily life.

In long run, I’m found laziness to be harder to overcome and have experienced greater freedom and life when I’ve incorporated disciplines in my life.

One of the things we’ve been engaging in our spiritual formation groups is establishing a “Rule of Life” - a “trellis” that will enable us to grow as followers of Jesus. And we want to look to Jesus to teach us what that “Rule of Life” should be.

And certain teachings can be especially burdensome, they are not life giving - Jesus’ critique of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, Matthew 23:1-4

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Strict following of unreasonable rules is a cumbersome load. Jesus said, don’t do it. And because the Pharisees themselves were not trustworthy teachers - they had put themselves under yoke of seeking admiration and honor of others - so “everything they do is done for people to see.”

But that’s not Jesus…Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart...

This is the only place in Gospels where Jesus speaks about his heart. I am gentle and humble. I come to you easy. I’m not self-serving.

There’s so many unforgiving burdens that we take on: Perfection…trying to be good enough for God…my freedom…pride (I can do this on my own)…trying to please others

Sheila Walsh and Pete Scazzero can tell you how heavy those burdens were. Sheila Walsh said at one point that God leading her to that pysch hospital was the “kindest thing God could have done to me.”

Jesus is not critical, he is not condemning. He is exactly the teacher we need and want. He knows what we can bear. He knows what we need.

And He knows life. He is the smartest person in the world. He knows how to live life. He is master.

Which is exactly why we should take on his yoke and learn from him to how live life.

If we want our souls to be well, if we want to experience rest, rest for our souls - unburden ourselves from heavy taskmasters we are under…we must come to Jesus and willingly place ourselves under yoke of Jesus, live according to his teachings.

Challenge - How to incorporate Jesus’ teaching in your life. This is very essence of spiritual disciplines. Habits, commitments we take on in order to submit ourselves to following Jesus, learn from him.

Spiritual Formation Group - Walk through Sermon on Mount and see how Jesus teaches us to be like him, take his yoke on, so we can live the Good and Beautiful Life.

Consider one specific teaching from Jesus you can incorporate in your life.

Jesus is currently teaching me about humility. I am learning from Jesus what it looks like to, “Humble myself.” It’s a hard and humbling process - but pride is a much more difficult taskmaster. (reading a book, being attentive, praying, I humble myself before you, before…).

Sabbath keeping (genuine rest, God’s way) - 24 hours, resting. No work. Things you delight in. Times of contemplation.

Abide in me / John 15 - space in your life to abide in Jesus, to be with him.

Let me finish with this - Rest of Sheila Walsh’s story

On the first night at the hospital, Sheila was sitting in the corner of tiny, bare room, head down on her knees. Every fifteen minutes, someone would come to check in on her. At 3:00 in the morning an attendant came in the room and stood in front of her. She looked up. He handed her a small stuffed animal. It was a lamb. He said to her, “Sheila, the Shepherd knows where to find you.”

In the rest of her time at the hospital, she never saw that attendant again.

She said that when she entered that hospital, she thought her life was over. As she tells it, “I really thought I had lost everything. My house. My salary. My job. Everything. But I found my life. I discovered at the lowest moment of my life that everything that was true about me, God knew.”

God knows. He always knows. He knows where to find us and he knows exactly what he need.

Which is exactly why he’s the master teacher. Which is why he is the one we really should go to in order to learn from. To take on his yoke.

Sheila has made it part of her routine to pray every morning (one of her disciplines) this verse from Psalm 143:8: Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

Show me the way, I’m entrusting my whole life to you. I’m taking your yoke on. I want to learn from you how to live my life. Teach me…because in you I know I will find rest for my soul.