Picking up the Slack

Matt 11:28-30

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. [Jer 6:16.]
30 For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good — not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.
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Our Labor Day was pretty laborious. I tried to remind Bobby that this wasn't what the holiday is really for, but it didn't matter. He left Sunday morning to "run" to the store for a couple things we needed, and came back with a steam cleaner he had rented. What's more is that I know he planned it before he left because he took my vehicle so he would have room to load the machine up and bring it home. For some reason, he didn't feel the need to let me know what he had in mind for the day until he was back and it was too late. The thing you should know about Bobby and I, is that he is the clean one and I am the...not as clean one. It's not that I don't care about things being clean, I prefer them that way, actually...it's just that I don't put it as such a high priority in my mental list of things that are important. I can leave it for another time. Bobby can't function until he has cleaned what he has noticed needs cleaning. It's pathological really, but he doesn't seem to notice or care that he has a problem. And so here we are, vacuuming and moving furniture and picking up toys and finally...cleaning the carpet.

To be fair, he really did the actual cleaning part. I prepped the area to be cleaned, but together we successfully cleaned all of the carpet in our house. I should back up and state that this is one of those things that was a legitimate chore. We have two small children and the people before us had teenagers and a dog. I shouldn't have to say any more about how dirty the carpet was. So even though it wasn't what I had in mind for my Sunday, I felt really accomplished after it was finished. It looks better than it did when we moved in. Plus, we were reminded once again that we work great together as a team. I think we could go on a reality show and kill.

I guess what I'm saying is that we balance each other out. And if there's any guideline I try to use as a check for my thoughts/beliefs/perceptions, it's balance. I think I lived my life in extremes for so long, I crave a middle road. I'm not talking about compromise in the sense that we water down our beliefs, I'm talking about weighing everything on each side. One thing you learn from being too heavy on a particular side of something, is that it leaves plenty of room for error or lack and/or no room for justice and mercy. Mercy is the level that evens out imbalance. What I mean, is that the farther we are from the middle, the more critical we are of others on the other side. Take the cleaning thing with Bobby and I. It's not a terribly serious issue, but if we don't allow the other side to balance us some, it can become one. Criticism and resentment could develop on either side because neither of us will weigh the validity of the other's view. And honestly, we have both been guilty of doing this sort of thing over various disagreements since we've been married. It's like a seesaw, if one of you tries to jump off before you're both touching the ground, someone is going to get hurt.

This is why I am so thankful for the mercy of God that brings balance to all of my disproportion. All of my shortcomings and lopsidedness are evened out by His grace. I was reminded of this today when I was thinking about all the times when I felt guilty I wasn't giving enough attention to either Joshua or Caleb, something I have battled since the day Caleb was born. I heard that still, small voice say, "Don't worry, it's Ok. I pick up all of your slack." I was overwhelmed with the simplicity. Whenever I am focused on how I never seem to measure up, His judgement sweeps in and doesn't condemn, but covers me in His righteousness. This is the truest form of rest, for me. My mind is at peace and free from labor because everything I can't do, He can. And whenever I'm off balance, He is there with a just weight, to even things out and keep me going.

Rom 8:34

34 Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us?

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