Unforced Rhythm of Grace

Jesus is talking here…….

• Are you tired?
• Worn out?
• Burned out on religion?
• Come to me.
• Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.
• I’ll show you how to take a real rest.
• Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.
• Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
• I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
• Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

Matthew 11:28-30 The Message Bible (bullets added by me)

Isn’t God cool?

I often jump down the rabbit hole of research when a certain word or phrase jumps off the page at me. Unforced rhythms of grace just GOT me!!!

So, hang on….. you’re jumping in with me.  I’m digging into the word “grace” and how it can be unforced and rhythmic.

Grace in the Greek is defined this way:

*When used in reference to God, it is the benevolent action of Him stooping down to us in His kindness to reach us in our need, and convey upon us a benefit.

Often while reading, I see images. Do you do that? Do words turn into pictures and little movies in your mind?

When I read this, I literally saw in my mind’s eye the image of our tender loving God, stooping down to me.

Our God….the maker of the universe, stoops!!!

HE STOOPS!!!!

His grace is lowered to us in our time of need.

Ok, now that we have a picture of grace, crawl out of the rabbit hole with me and I will write what I’m seeing in my mind…..

I’m tired and worn out over this crazy roller coaster called entrepreneurship.

I see myself cry out to God. I take him up on his invitation to get away with Him to recover my life. I feel hopeful but I naturally doubt (because I doubt practically everything). His promise to recover my life and learning how to get ‘real rest’ is too enticing. I follow Him.

I notice that all he asks is that I walk and work with Him and simply watch Him do this life thing.

So… I walk, work and watch.

I walk because He can’t steer me in any direction if I’m sitting still. I do the work the Holy Spirit shows me to do for the day. I’m dumbfounded as I see that He has gone before me and I can see His Holy work.

He tells me he’s going to teach me how the unforced rhythm of grace works. I see Him putting things into place in my life like a puzzle. He fashions and moves in ways which are far above anything I could have imagined.

He promises me that He won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on me. Well now THAT sounds amazing because life seems to always try to lay heavy and ill-fitting things on me.

Then, he simply asks me to keep company with Him. The creator of the Universe wants ME to keep company with HIM.  ME…HIM…..US

All He asks is for my company and by spending time with Him, I learn to live freely and lightly. It takes a while, but once I am in the flow of this unforced rhythm of grace, I ‘get’ it. Because it’s such a stark difference from what the world defines as normal for business owners, I quickly know when I step outside of this beautiful, peaceful unforced rhythm of grace.

I then do what any smart person does and I run back to God.

The End

* https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Hebrew_Roots/The_original_foundation/Grace