In Matt. 11:29-30 Jesus shows us how to find rest.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls."
When we are weary and heavy laden, Jesus wants us to learn from him to be meek and lowly of heart. What does it mean to be meek and lowly in heart and how is that the remedy of weariness and burdened? If we have not found rest, we most likely have not learned to be meek (toward man ~JWN) and lowly (toward God~JWN).
Meek: strength under control. When we have the power and ability to do something and choose not to. Jesus had the resources of heaven and earth at his disposal, yet he chose to be obedient to the will of God, brought about by man.
"Meekness, is more than self-restraint; it is the presentation of self in a posture of kindness and gentleness, reflecting certitude, strength, serenity, and a healthy self-esteem and self-control" ("Meekness--A Dimension of True Discipleship," Ensign, March 1983, p. 71)" http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6968
Lowly: A cognitive realization of total dependence upon God. In Him is our breath, our life, our senses, our motion, our ability to succeed, our thought process, our everything. He holds in his hands life and death. My life, my death.
"Satan uses that very delicate line between self-confidence and pride to blind us. He can keep us so frenzied in our efforts to protect our self-esteem that we are blinded to the one quality that would assure it--true dependence upon the Lord." http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6968
In our meekness, we show our strength through the way we portray ourselves to others. We show kindness, gentleness, self-control, integrity, honesty. The counterbalance between self-esteem and pride is realizing that all we are is a direct result of our dependence upon God. We have confidence because we depend on God. We have strength because God is our strength. We are honest because God is our truth. We are gentle because God is gentle.
Acknowledgement of Total dependence on God….that is the line between self-esteem and pride. Self esteem says I am what I am by the grace of God. Pride says I am what I am by my own doing.
With this understanding of Meekness and Lowliness, how is it the remedy of being weary and heavy laden?
When we strive in our own strength to be everything we should be, to measure up, we become weary. It is too hard to keep up. The burden of trying to be everything that everyone expects us to be and everything we think we should be is heavy. We get into performing the Christian life instead of joyously living out the grace of God in our lives. Performance is demanding, heavy and wearisome, and leads ultimately to disillusionment and despair.
To lay down these burdens, we must learn first to be lowly - realize that everything we are and hope to be, from the most minute and hidden detail of me, to the me you see is a direct outflow of God’s grace in our life and in direct proportion to our dependence on Him. When we are lowly (cognitive of complete dependence) toward God, we are meek toward man. The power of God works in us and we present ourselves to others in a manner that points them to Christ. Meekness says “I am what I am by the grace of God.”
Dear Reader. Here you have it, unedited, from my mind to yours :) Hope it makes sense ;>) In the interest of not commiting purgery (I think that's what it is called), I have included the web site where my 'wondering' led me. If you connect, you will find a devotional given at Brigham Young University.....Please understand that I do not support their doctrine. I have found however, there are elements of truth in everything. I have taken what I believe to be elements of truth. Use your own discretion.
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