Dialogo: Give it up

"But to what will I compare this generation?"

This is Jesus' question at the beginning of a passage (in Matthew) calling us to consider following him in our daily living. It is about giving up the things that we are involved with to take on a different burden. This passage is often a bit puzzling (you can click above to read it) but I just wonder about the last part of Jesus' statement: "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Each of us have things in our lives that can really wear us down. It might be a relationship that does not live up to all the romantic notions we had (realistic, or unrealistic). It might be a job or career path that has not gone the way we had planned. It might be wondering about whether we have the money we need to pay for basic things like food and clothing and housing. It might be a sense of fear for the world.

Whatever these things may be, this is a good time to find some encouragement in these words by Jesus. It is not about forgetting about these problems, but about turning to live a different way that defines us by who we were created to be, not who others think we should be, not what our job may define us to be, but by how God created us to live.

As you head into the coming long weekend, consider what burdens of heart, soul, or mind you need to let go of so that you can say "Yes" and follow Jesus into a new way of living.

Feel free to share a practice you use to help redirect your spirit.