His yoke is easy

Happy Monday, everybody!  And hey, "happy Monday" is NOT an oxymoron!  :)  I woke up to sunshine coming through the window, a day filled with the work I love, and the health to do it...what's not to like?  ;)

See, I've been sick for a few weeks.  Again.  Grr!  I don't get sick like this.  It was some sort of bronchitis, a deep chest infection, the kind where you spend all your time in bed because you just don't have the energy to do ANYTHING else.  Not even watch movies or read books.  I coughed all night and slept all day.  My chest hurt and my voice sounded froggy.  And when I did get better enough to watch movies and read books, I quickly learned to avoid funny ones, because laughing set off the coughing again!

I'm still coughing a bit, but I'm awfully happy to conclude this unplanned hiatus from normal life (and blogging).  I've gotten behind on pretty much everything one can get behind on, haha... :P  Honestly, I was behind before getting sick, but now it's reached such epic proportions that I'm really kind of beyond worrying about it, if that makes sense.  I'm just working through the tasks as I can.  Everything will get done...all in good time.  I just don't have the health to push too hard.  No more late-night photo-editing sessions for a while!

OK, moment of honesty: in spite of the nuisance, it was good to be sick.  God had something He wanted to talk to me about.  No, He didn't want me to be sick and hurting and tired, I pretty much brought that one on myself!  But the situation was most convenient for Him to raise an issue with me.  He is never so near as when we are at the end of our rope, for whatever reason -- whether we brought it on ourselves or not.  And He wanted some time with me.

All my adult life I've struggled with over-committing myself, taking on too much, trying to squeeze more out of a normal 24-hour day.  (For that matter, I was always busy when I was a kid, too, just ask my mom.)  As if the Creator of both me and that 24-hour day didn't know best!  But no, I pack those 24 hours like sardines in a tin, with similar results -- things come out of that tin kinda squashed.  And I end up exhausted, bogged-down, burdened.

I'm pretty sure that's not how He meant life to be.  I'm pretty sure there's no Bible verse that says, "He leadeth me to exhaustion; He runneth me ragged."  That's not His design for us.  He says "my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  He knows what He designed us to carry.  Would the creator of a fine Swiss watch try to use that kind of clockwork to drive a truck?  Not likely.

Instead...resting in Him.  Giving Him my schedule, my time, my strength, my willpower.  Slowing down.  Stopping not just to smell the flowers (hey, I do plenty of that already...and then photograph them!) but to talk to their Maker and enjoy His presence.  And releasing my heart to Him in that moment, inviting Him into it, and giving Him control over my day.

Why?  Because He knows what will make me happiest.  He knows what He created me to do, and what I can do in a day.  And His companionship throughout my day is what makes any job come alive.  Like Brother Lawrence in his kitchen -- even if he was just washing dishes, he was in the presence of the Lord of all the earth, enjoying His company.  His presence sweetens any task.

So I've begun to break the habit of taking on too much.  My loving heavenly Father is the one who should get control of my schedule.  I'm leaving time to breathe...to play the piano, take a swim, whatever.  As Matthew West says, in this song I recently came across, to "Stop the World" and have some time with Him.

I'm learning to set down burdens He doesn't intend me to carry, and to come to Him...and find rest for my soul.  His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.

- Kelsey

Discovering beauty...

Kelsey Schweickert  |  San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographer
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