The Question
Fatigue.
I don’t recall a time in my life when I’ve heard more people describe themselves as tired. Really tired. It’s like another epidemic accompanying everything else going on in our world.
“Where do I turn first when things are the worst?”—Dusty Rubeck
I guess I understand it. I’ve often felt the same way over the last few months. Between the coronavirus and the lockdown and the solitude and the mask-wearing and the racial tension and the mass protests and the stock market and the high unemployment rates and the postponed weddings and the loss of loved ones and the uncertainty about the future . . . it’s natural to feel tired.
A few years ago I began to ask myself a simple question during difficult times:
Where do I turn first when things are the worst?
While it is a simple question, the way I answer it produces vastly different outcomes. In fact, if I forget to ask it, things usually get worse.
The question first occurred to me when I was studying some comforting words of Jesus in the 11th chapter of Matthew:
“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.”
—Matthew 11:28-30
If I don’t ask and answer this question, I oftentimes turn to myself instead of Jesus. What does that look like? Perhaps I pursue some way to “escape” from my issues. Perhaps I decide to work harder. Perhaps I just try to ignore it. As you can guess, none of these options bring rest.
On the other hand, if I remember to ask myself this question and to answer it with the right answer, rest always arrives. When we turn to Jesus, the burden is lightened.
“When we turn to Jesus, the burden is lightened.”—Dusty Rubeck
Instead of being stressed, we could be blessed.
How about you? Where will you turn first when things are the worst?
Read more from The Cornerstone Summer/Fall 2020
We hope that you are inspired by the stories in this issue of The Cornerstone. Thanks for being a part of God's work to transform churches and lives.
