Book giveaway details in post. Enter to win.
I have just returned from my first ever trip to Canada. What a beautiful country! Admittedly, I only saw a small portion of this vast land, but the portion I saw was awesome.
After being reunited with my childhood friend Glenda, and meeting her husband, Andy, at Calgary airport, we made our way south to their home town of Okotoks, just 11 miles away. Okotoks, is surrounded by prairie with a view of the Canadian Rockies rising up to meet the sky in the distance.
I looked out of the car window and I was amazed at the bright, almost florescent yellow fields that greeted me. It would not be the last time I would gaze upon the glimmering yellow canola fields as they were present in abundance.
The vast openness of the prairie was a source of delight and wonder to me. With only a handful of trees dotted here and there, I could literally see for mile, upon uninterrupted picturesque mile. Its beauty rolling out before me in a never ending carpet of green and yellow, reminded me of a verse found in the book of Psalms. (18 vs 19)
He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delights in me.
Sometimes life feels so closed in, we worry and fuss, we busy ourselves with details and we wonder if reprieve is possible. The air we breathe is stuffy, our oxygen saturation numbers are low, spiritually speaking; and we gasp in an attempt to survive. Our thoughts and eyes are clouded and we feel trapped, unable to hold our head up: Life has become heavy and burdensome.
That is not how Jesus, wants us to live.
Learning to Live Light
Matthew 11:28-30 tells us, if we are weary and burdened to go to him. He promised to give us rest. He asked that we take His yoke on ourselves and learn from Him. He said He is gentle and humble in His heart. For the second time within the three verses He reminds us that He will give us rest. He tells us His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
I don’t like living closed in and worn down with a heavy burden. The Lord knows I spent way too long in that condition. Give me the open space of His love and the lightness of His yoke. Such a better way to live.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1Peter 5:7
It’s true! Jesus cares about us. He wants to rescue us and bring us into the spacious place of His rest. So why doesn’t He just do it?
Here’s why!
We were given free will, that means we have the freedom to choose. We can choose to stay weighed down by life, longing for rest, gasping for air. Or, we can choose to cast our burdens and anxieties on Jesus. (Google Dictionary definition of the word cast; to throw something forcefully in a specified direction)
It’s a choice. It’s up to each one of us whether we live feeling trapped or not. The solution is found in Jesus. Ladies (gentleman), let’s get good at forcefully throwing our concerns, burdens, anxieties, disappointments, and all that weighs us down straight at the feet of Jesus….and goodness me! Please leave them there.
Before I sign off it’s time for a book giveaway. Real Love in an Angry world: How to Stick to your Convictions Without Alienating People, released in July, author Rick Bezet, Pastor of New Life Church (NLC) Arkansas.
To enter: simply signup to follow me on Grace Lace and Polkadots Facebook page. That’s it! Nothing complicated. Winner will be announced Monday August 7th and will have until 10pm central time on Wednesday 9th to respond. No response and I will choose another winner. Those already following Grace Lace and Polkadots FB page will automatically be entered.
Join me next week as I travel into the Canadian Rockies.
Helena
Looking to Jesus. Living in His Radiance
Welcome to Canada! I live in the USA now but I’m a born and raised Canadian girl. It is a vast and beautiful country 🙂 Hope you have a lovely trip!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is a beautiful country and the people are very nice.
Thank you for stopping by the blog.
LikeLike
“….cast your cares upon the Lord, for He careth for you much”….
LikeLike
Yes, he cares for us more than we can comprehend.
LikeLike
I loved your descriptive prose! It made me feel as though I were with you right there looking out the same car window at the same glorious view. And of course I loved the spiritual analogy you brought to the scene. Great blog Helena!
Sent from my iPhone
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
The first two days in Alberta the sky was covered by smoke from fires in a neighboring Provence. The yellow canola fields glowed against the dark grey of the smoke
LikeLike
The view really was beautiful.
LikeLike