My Yoke Is Easy, My Burden Is Light

Isn't it odd that in order to strengthen my relationship with Christ, I had to step away from the church? 

When I found that I could no longer worship in spirit and truth, that my anxiety level would increase every time I walked through the church doors, I realized I was not free in Christ because my personal convictions of worship and service did not align with the majority.   That is not to say I felt my own convictions were superior, on the contrary, I felt they were inferior.  I was expected, even required, to participate in service opportunities that I in no way felt led by the Holy Spirit.  I was participating out of obligation and guilt and it was like a cinder block setting on my chest; a weight too heavy for me to bear.   The verse "My yoke is easy, My burden is light" would often invade my thoughts and I would say, "No, Lord, they are not."   And this begin to effect my mental and emotional state.  When I finally stopped "doing" long enough and started "being", I  understood that the weight I was carrying was not of God, but of man.  That is why it was so heavy!   In all my busyness,  I could not get a vision of what God wanted for me personally.  I think this is true for the church as a whole.  We have become so busy doing church work, that we are neglecting our vision for the work of the Church.

The meaning of religion, in the dictionary, has to do with a belief in and a commitment to something or someone. It also means that a person is bound to the something or someone.  Commitment to God and being bound to Him is not a bad thing; the problem is that most people are bound to a set of rules and regulations, most of which were instituted by man, not God!   I desperately needed a sabbatical from "religion" and I boldly took it.  Even though it cut across the grain of societal expectations, even though it meant neglecting church duties, I decided that listening to Jesus and learning his ways were more important than anything else I could choose. No one can rip this precious spiritual truth away from me.     When I began to view my relationship with Christ in the light of how God saw me, rather than how others saw me, my perspective begin to change.

To Be Continued.....