Rev. Michelle Manuel

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”The other day a clergy friend sent me a list of the types of fatigue people are experiencing currently; compassion fatigue, Zoom fatigue, crisis fatigue, the list goes on. I bet you could name a type of fatigue that’s graced your presence recently. As a pastor allow me to add one to the list from my observations: you’re-doing-it-wrong fatigue.

I’ve sensed that many well-intentioned people who are doing the best they know how are getting weary of being corrected and being told, “you’re doing it wrong.” Change may indeed be needed, but trying to tackle all of it at the same time can feel like too much. This message can come at us from all directions: family members, new initiatives from various organizations with which we’re affiliated, social media, the media, etc. “Change! Unlearn! Re-learn! Don’t do that!” I don’t know about you, friends, but fatigue is setting in— the you’re-doing-it-wrong fatigue. 

And then along comes Lent, the season in which we reflect on how we’ve been doing it wrong— our sin. How are we supposed to enter this season wholeheartedly, open to God’s correction, guidance, and pruning when it feels like that’s all we’ve been doing? If we aren’t careful, we’ll run the risk of writing Lent off completely (and we’d have a perfectly good reason to at this time). We must resist filing Lent away with the critical voices of the world ever hardening our hearts in order to just get through to Easter. Methods for just getting through only lead us deeper into fatigue and weariness. 

Look at what Jesus offers us when we’re tired and broken down. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” It’s from this place of rest that we then can approach Lent, outside of the framework of “you’re doing it wrong” and instead with the framework of abundant grace.

The you’re-doing-it-wrong framework is a heavy burden, but life with Jesus as our teacher is one that is light and easy. It’s a life in which Jesus does the heavy lifting and we participate through prayer, self-reflection, discernment, and spiritual disciplines. 

Throughout Lent, the Daily Habit would like to provide you with a framework for dealing with sin. May it be a gentle rhythm through which you experience the lightness and easiness of Christ’s yoke. Each week the devotionals will move through conviction, confession, repentance, and end at forgiveness. May our fatigue push us to seek rest from Jesus who enables us to journey together through Lent. May we move from the you’re-doing-it-wrong framework to the grace-filled framework of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: 
Jesus,
In this moment I name my fatigue and weariness, but I welcome your will of bringing restoration and redemption in my life. Break down the frameworks that make me weary and reveal to me the abundant grace that is already available. Help me to find rest in you and listen to your prompting this season. Amen.