Lite 'n' Easy
Wow. I've just signed off from a two hour Biblical Hebrew lecture! As much as I enjoy the mental challenge, tonight, I am absolutely exhausted! (...I'm studying Biblical Hebrew this year through the Hebrew University of Jerusalem). By the end of any day, I'm normally tired; and by the end of any normal Hebrew lecture, I'm always "pooped" but today's lecture comes on the back of three very busy weeks in my ministry with Life-Gate. Three wonderful and exciting weeks, for sure, but certainly tiring!
What's been happening? I hear you ask =) ...For those of you who receive my prayer letters or follow my 'Prayer Points' page, you may remember a while back, I mentioned (and have been asking for prayer) for a new Art program and Art Exhibition I was involved in initiating?
Well, God be praised!!! That's all I can say. I've been amazed and excited to see the way - from beginning to (almost at its) end - God has inspired and directed me as I've planned and delivered this new initiative! Six weeks ago, one night as I began to pray and plan the art program, God gave me a very clear picture and vision for how we could structure the program and the specific phases of planning and delivery I would need to undertake in order to bring the event together - I mean, I had flow charts and all, that just poured out onto my paper as I prayed and wrote! I even had key words to capture the essence and focus of each stage!
What's more, when Ps. Angel requested that I put together a clear timeline of all the tasks I had to undertake to make the event happen, the 6 week timeline just 'flowed' as well (no other way to describe it!). What is normally, for me, a very daunting and impossible task to 'get right' (I mean, how do I know how many tasks I'll get through in a week or what to allocate when???) just came into place in minimal time (and, now that I've completed each task, I can say the plan actually worked and was possible to follow! You have no idea how amazing this is to me and how far removed from my normal experience!).
What began, in the planning stage, with such ease, also continued with that same ease! I've been so excited and thankful to see how my Daddy God has opened every door, paved every step and brought each piece together with no sweat on my part. As I've simply been faithful to do what was on my task timeline, He has been faithful to provide and enable!
I write this 'post' now to share and to testify to the truth and REALITY of Jesus's words when He declared in Matthew 11:28-30 that "My yoke is easy, and My burden light."
Don't misunderstand me, this whole process wasn't stress free for me (I still have a weakness in this area) but what I saw so clearly, is how uneccessary my stress was! A few weeks out from the beginning of the program, when I began to feel overwhelmed by stress as I considered the seemingly impossible amount of work still left to be done, God spoke to me very clearly during a staff prayer time one morning. He reminded me that I needed to rest in Him and that His yoke is always easy and light.
The next day, I again began to allow the stress to overwhelm me, and was again reminded of Jesus's words in Matthew 11. In that moment I made a decision. In fact, I wrote about it in an email to a friend that same evening,
"We have our new arts program initiative being launched this week, so Thursday (ALL day!) we have a group of about 15 at-risk youth invading our Centre and wreaking havoc with paint brushes, glue guns, spray cans and goodness knows what else! It will no doubt be bedlam, but even getting to the point where I’m ready for us to be swamped by them has meant getting through SO much work this week.
To be honest, I started the week (is today ONLY Tuesday???) overwhelmed by how much I have to get through, but God reminded me to rest in Him and ‘keep a quiet [tranquil] heart’ knowing that Jesus’s yoke is easy and His burden light. Get this: Even knowing how much I have to do, Jesus DECLARES that everything He calls me to is ONLY EVER “easy” and “light” (lol, ‘lite ‘n’ easy’ Jesus’s way!) – so if it doesn’t FEEL easy and light, I realised it must mean I’m not doing it His way (ie, not relying on His strength and enabling)! With that in mind, I’ve consciously brought myself continually back to these truths and to resting in God and though the last two days have been LONG and TIRING, I’ve actually gotten through a lot of stuff - and the best bit is, it really HAS been lite’n’easy (lol)...PRAISE GOD!"
And you know what? Every time I chose to come back to what He had shown me: to let go of my stress, trust Him to enable and provide, and REST in His guidance, wisdom, provision (and all that I have in Christ already), I saw God pave my way and bring each piece together WITHOUT any stress on my part! It was incredible. I've never experienced such ease before in my service to Him! And I'll tell you what, the joy and the gratitude that rose up in my heart as I watched God work as I did my part, made the weeks of preparation exciting and gave me such a keen awareness that my Daddy God and I were in this project together!
I know I haven't really said much about the program itself, or its purpose, but this is what has been on my heart to share with you, dear friend. God has called me to an Outreach ministry and to doing things such as running art programs to engage at-risk youth and minister the healing love and grace of God...He has called YOU to a very different ministry and mission in your sphere of influence. And yet, whatever He has called you to, the truths He has taught me - and PROVEN true - in my life, are true for you also!
This is why I share this story - I long so much to encourage you dear friend and brother or sister in Christ! Whatever He has called you to, never forget that Jesus has promised if you "take My [His] yoke upon you, and learn from Me, you shall find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden light." (Matt. 11:28-30). When we understand His grace and all that we already have through the finished work of Calvary; when we place more value on what He declares in His Word, than on how things seem in the natural; and choose to let go of stress and control and rest in this, His 'yoke' for each of our lives, truly is easy and light!
I pray my testimony encourages you! ...If I could encourage you to do anything, it would be to avail yourself of the same preaching and teaching that has opened these truths up to my heart and brought them to fruition in my life - grace-centered preachers such as Andrew Wommack and Joseph Prince - who, mind you, have free podcasts you can download and listen to on a daily basis (hint, hint!).
I love you dear friend, and pray for you as often as our Daddy God brings you to mind!
Yours in Him, Lau
What's been happening? I hear you ask =) ...For those of you who receive my prayer letters or follow my 'Prayer Points' page, you may remember a while back, I mentioned (and have been asking for prayer) for a new Art program and Art Exhibition I was involved in initiating?
Well, God be praised!!! That's all I can say. I've been amazed and excited to see the way - from beginning to (almost at its) end - God has inspired and directed me as I've planned and delivered this new initiative! Six weeks ago, one night as I began to pray and plan the art program, God gave me a very clear picture and vision for how we could structure the program and the specific phases of planning and delivery I would need to undertake in order to bring the event together - I mean, I had flow charts and all, that just poured out onto my paper as I prayed and wrote! I even had key words to capture the essence and focus of each stage!
What's more, when Ps. Angel requested that I put together a clear timeline of all the tasks I had to undertake to make the event happen, the 6 week timeline just 'flowed' as well (no other way to describe it!). What is normally, for me, a very daunting and impossible task to 'get right' (I mean, how do I know how many tasks I'll get through in a week or what to allocate when???) just came into place in minimal time (and, now that I've completed each task, I can say the plan actually worked and was possible to follow! You have no idea how amazing this is to me and how far removed from my normal experience!).
What began, in the planning stage, with such ease, also continued with that same ease! I've been so excited and thankful to see how my Daddy God has opened every door, paved every step and brought each piece together with no sweat on my part. As I've simply been faithful to do what was on my task timeline, He has been faithful to provide and enable!
I write this 'post' now to share and to testify to the truth and REALITY of Jesus's words when He declared in Matthew 11:28-30 that "My yoke is easy, and My burden light."
Don't misunderstand me, this whole process wasn't stress free for me (I still have a weakness in this area) but what I saw so clearly, is how uneccessary my stress was! A few weeks out from the beginning of the program, when I began to feel overwhelmed by stress as I considered the seemingly impossible amount of work still left to be done, God spoke to me very clearly during a staff prayer time one morning. He reminded me that I needed to rest in Him and that His yoke is always easy and light.
The next day, I again began to allow the stress to overwhelm me, and was again reminded of Jesus's words in Matthew 11. In that moment I made a decision. In fact, I wrote about it in an email to a friend that same evening,
"We have our new arts program initiative being launched this week, so Thursday (ALL day!) we have a group of about 15 at-risk youth invading our Centre and wreaking havoc with paint brushes, glue guns, spray cans and goodness knows what else! It will no doubt be bedlam, but even getting to the point where I’m ready for us to be swamped by them has meant getting through SO much work this week.
To be honest, I started the week (is today ONLY Tuesday???) overwhelmed by how much I have to get through, but God reminded me to rest in Him and ‘keep a quiet [tranquil] heart’ knowing that Jesus’s yoke is easy and His burden light. Get this: Even knowing how much I have to do, Jesus DECLARES that everything He calls me to is ONLY EVER “easy” and “light” (lol, ‘lite ‘n’ easy’ Jesus’s way!) – so if it doesn’t FEEL easy and light, I realised it must mean I’m not doing it His way (ie, not relying on His strength and enabling)! With that in mind, I’ve consciously brought myself continually back to these truths and to resting in God and though the last two days have been LONG and TIRING, I’ve actually gotten through a lot of stuff - and the best bit is, it really HAS been lite’n’easy (lol)...PRAISE GOD!"
And you know what? Every time I chose to come back to what He had shown me: to let go of my stress, trust Him to enable and provide, and REST in His guidance, wisdom, provision (and all that I have in Christ already), I saw God pave my way and bring each piece together WITHOUT any stress on my part! It was incredible. I've never experienced such ease before in my service to Him! And I'll tell you what, the joy and the gratitude that rose up in my heart as I watched God work as I did my part, made the weeks of preparation exciting and gave me such a keen awareness that my Daddy God and I were in this project together!
I know I haven't really said much about the program itself, or its purpose, but this is what has been on my heart to share with you, dear friend. God has called me to an Outreach ministry and to doing things such as running art programs to engage at-risk youth and minister the healing love and grace of God...He has called YOU to a very different ministry and mission in your sphere of influence. And yet, whatever He has called you to, the truths He has taught me - and PROVEN true - in my life, are true for you also!
This is why I share this story - I long so much to encourage you dear friend and brother or sister in Christ! Whatever He has called you to, never forget that Jesus has promised if you "take My [His] yoke upon you, and learn from Me, you shall find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden light." (Matt. 11:28-30). When we understand His grace and all that we already have through the finished work of Calvary; when we place more value on what He declares in His Word, than on how things seem in the natural; and choose to let go of stress and control and rest in this, His 'yoke' for each of our lives, truly is easy and light!
I pray my testimony encourages you! ...If I could encourage you to do anything, it would be to avail yourself of the same preaching and teaching that has opened these truths up to my heart and brought them to fruition in my life - grace-centered preachers such as Andrew Wommack and Joseph Prince - who, mind you, have free podcasts you can download and listen to on a daily basis (hint, hint!).
I love you dear friend, and pray for you as often as our Daddy God brings you to mind!
Yours in Him, Lau
Comments