UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE

Don’t you just love the sound of that phrase, “unforced rhythms of grace”?  It has its own cadence and  brings to mind waves lapping on the shore, or catching the wind in a sail boat on a warm summer night.  Somehow we instinctively know that life is about rhythms.  We know all too well what it feels like to be way out of rhythm and it seems we only get fleeting glimpses of what it’s like to be in perfect rhythm.  But Jesus intends for us to catch His Rhythm and live our entire lives there, in the unforced rhythms of grace.

This concept comes from a very familiar passage of scripture in Matthew Chapter 11:28-30. Jesus’ invitation to the weary: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest….learn from me…. my yoke is easy and my burden is light…”  Check out the Message paraphrase:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

I always thought this scripture was speaking to those who don’t know Him.  Are you tired of trying to do life your way?  Come to Jesus and you will find rest for your souls.  While this is totally true, upon closer inspection, perhaps Jesus is also talking to Christians… we’re tired, worn out, burned out on religion…    

Think about it, how many Christians do you know who would call the Christian life “restful”.  How many would say, “yes, this yoke is easy”.  The truth is, often His yoke feels hard… We have all these responsibilities to fight our flesh and die to ourselves. We are supposed to turn the other cheek, not worry about anything, pray at all times, have faith in the good, even when life looks bad.  On top of which, we have to navigate the “world”, work on our marriages, support our families, raise our kids, run our households AND volunteer for every service team and ministry that comes along.  Exhausting!!! 

So, where is the disconnect?  What are we missing?  Why is life not light and free? Of course, I don’t  have all the answers!  Many times our lives don’t feel light and free…. but Matt and I have been pursuing unforced rhythms of grace and I’d like to share some of our experiences with you.   

One day, a few years ago,  we came across the phrase, Unforced Rhythms of Grace.  It captured our imaginations!!  For one thing, it sounded like a great hook for a song!  (Turns out, it is! Check out Matt’s CD at mAc.hisplace.me)  For another, it is so compelling… "Yes!" We said, "We want to learn the unforced rhythms of grace from Jesus!"  We began to ponder what this might mean and talk to each other and the Lord about it.

The first thing we did was decide to believe God; to believe He means what He says in scripture and to believe that He is interested and active in every aspect of our lives.  We began to look for Him in our everyday lives.  We asked ourselves: What is happening right now, that is just not a coincidence?!  Where is God active around us?  What is absolutely clear in scripture about how to live and what He promises?  (For a complete course on this concept, see Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby.  We only got through the first 2 chapters of that study, but it has been life changing!)  With these kinds of questions, we began to consider the different aspects of our lives, try to discern what God would have us do and then boldly do it.

So, how does this play out in a practical way?  Matt came down one day and described a phenomenon that he experiences when writing computer code.  Sometimes he just feels like he needs to do a particular project, maybe it’s converting everything to a new library, or incorporating a particular tool or functionality with no apparent need for it in the immediate future.  And then, within a few days, something will come up that needs the very thing that he just completed!  This has happened so many times, Matt knows when he gets this feeling to go ahead and do the thing, because the odds are great he is going to need it. “Ah-ha”, we said, “this is an example of unforced rhythms of grace!  Let’s believe God works in our lives this way, and go with it!”

This knowing also happens with people!  Have you ever just met someone, yet you feel like you’ve known them your entire life?  Or maybe you are just inexplicably drawn to a person, they keep coming to your mind?  This is not just an oddity!!  IT’S A DIVINE APPOINTMENT!  God is connecting two lives because He has something in the connection for each of you!  Pay attention, make room, follow-through and you will be blessed!  I’ll never forget the day I was attending a gathering at another church to pray for a unified Easter service.  It was 630am on a Sunday morning and I showed up in my baseball cap and ratty old sweater with big pockets full of Kleenex, some new, some used!  (You get the picture, I was not there to meet people! LOL!)  As a woman I had never met began to pray, I felt something like a wave of electricity go through me!  It was like an arc that connected me to her and I remember leaning forward to get a look at who was speaking so I could meet her after.  We became fast friends and prayer partners and she opened a whole new world of prayer and believing God for more in my life.  We have been on many adventures with the Lord since that day….  I can honestly say, my life was NEVER THE SAME, after I met and invited this dear sister to be a part of it!!  All because I recognized God at work in this connection and moved into it.

On another occasion, we were asked to help lead a bible study in a prison. We had never even considered prison ministry.  I remember we took a long walk one cold winter night and landed on the fact that Jesus said, “when you visit a prisoner, you visit me”.  Well, we want to be where Jesus is, so we said “YES”, and now six years later we can’t even count all the benefits and blessings that have come from this one decision!  Not only do we get to invest in many lives and encounter Jesus in powerful ways, through this ministry, Matt has gained the confidence to perform his original music live and I have started teaching, which is something I have wanted to do since I was a child!  God is giving us the desires of our hearts!  In fact, the day we decided to believe God for our wildest dreams, He downloaded a complete song to Matt, lyrics and music, in one hour.  We didn’t choose prison ministry, it chose us! And it has been LIFE GIVING!!!  Did we feel a prolonged call on our lives to do prison ministry?  No. Did God make it obvious this was where He wanted us in a vision or a dream? No. He simply put it in our path and we said “Yes”. 

This one decision to believe God means what He says, to look for Him in our lives and move in His direction has paid off in huge dividends!!  Since we started this journey, we have become debt free. (That’s right, NO MORTGAGE!)  You would think this would have required both of us working 2 jobs, but instead, during this time, I voluntarily took several cuts in pay…. all the way to $0!  And Matt quit his job and we started our own business!!!  Can you say, “abundantly more than we can ask or imagine”? 

Another way to describe this way of life, is to simply be faithful with what He puts in front of you.  If you feel prompted to start something new, start it! Believe that He orders the steps of the Righteous!  That He’s put His words in your mouth!  Do what He gives you to do to the best of your abilities and leave the rest up to Him.  Don’t try to figure out how it will all work out in the end.  If you feel like you should connect with someone, don’t miss it!  What treasures!  What blessings the Lord has in store for us if we will only believe Him.  Get ready for the ride of your lives in the Unforced Rhythms of Grace.