December 10, 2020

Bob Maas
“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
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.”
Colossians 3:1-2

I have found that the biggest challenges I have happen when my expectations are in the realm of darkness instead of the Kingdom of Light. Most of the events and experiences I have in the sphere of time are fleeting at best. The reality is that they are never as good as they seem, nor are they as bad as they appear. My stability, in the realm of time, always comes from the life that I have in Jesus Christ which never changes, no matter what my life situation may be. My circumstances are always changing regardless of what I try to do about them. I make plans, work my schedules, follow procedures and develop boundaries but some form of drama is always competing for my attention in order to distract me from my primary objective of walking in continual fellowship with the Lord. Simplifying my life and forming boundaries has helped tremendously and contentment has kept me from being attracted to material things, but my biggest struggle has been with relationships. Because I am trying to be discreet in my spiritual journey, sharing my joys and treasures with a limited number of people, I have discovered that my most effective way of working in harmony with others has been through silence. Whereas I used to be the catalyst and initiator of activities because of my former propensity to boredom, my gratification in the Lord has made me much more of an observer in my life situations. The result has been, at least for the current stage of growth I am in, the solution to my problem with unfulfilled expectations. Meanwhile, my appreciation for the Lord’s patience and forbearance with me is increasing in much greater measure.