Walking in the sandals of Jesus in times of stress
By Jessica Brodie
It’s been the Month of Madness.
In five short weeks, sandwiched between not just one but two hurricanes, I’ve moved across town, won a big national fiction writing award, lost my dear aunt, and battled some sort of stomach bug. Some days I don’t know which end is up.
And yet I’m blessed. I know this! In the joy and the pain, in the crazy and the calm, in the loss and the celebration—all is well. God is risen in the form of our eternal savior, Jesus Christ, and we have hope that, no matter what we endure, all will eventually be set right.
But in periods of great stress, it can be easy to forget God is with us.
It helps sometimes for me to remember that Jesus, who himself walked this earth in human form, understood the pressures and the struggles of daily existence. He walked in our shoes, and we walk in His.
In fact, walking in His shoes is perhaps the only thing we can do when we’re in a valley and trying desperately to keep our grip on the rope. We can slip on his sandals and pause in his light. And in doing do, we can gain the rest—and the strength—we need to press on.
Jesus said, “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).
We don’t need to worry about “top five ways to overcome stress” or “ten new solutions for managing chaos” or any other so-called solutions we humans come up with. We have Jesus as the solution to our weariness and our stress.
Come to me and take my yoke, he says. Believe in me. Learn my ways. Do my work. Walk in my sandals.
There is such great hope and peace in this.
Having this hope and this peace doesn’t mean I don’t feel completely unsettled, uncomfortable, and a wee bit batty some days. It doesn’t mean some days I don’t feel like swiping that ginormous pile of work off my desk, shrugging into my comfy-cozies, and spending a day on the couch watching something fluffy and mindless.
Being Christian doesn’t mean being perfect, nor does it mean hard things never happen. They do.
But when we walk his path, our load is lighter. Let’s remember that when times get tough.
HOW ABOUT YOU? Are you experiencing great stress and pain? How do you cope? What are some ways you can remember Jesus walks with you during this time?
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