Protective

I didn't see the punch coming. But I sure felt it.

I was walking down the street in Rubio, Venezuela heading to the boarding school where LeAnn and I were serving as teachers for the children of missionaries, when suddenly, something slammed into the back of my head. As I looked behind me, trying to figure out what hit me, I saw a well-dressed Venezuelan man aggressively gesturing at me, yelling at me at the top of his lungs. Not only was my Spanish pathetic, but this "gentleman" in a three-piece suit was talking so fast, I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong and why he felt he needed to punch me.

Thankfully, two of my students were across the street. After getting their attention, I asked them to translate. Turns out, the guy wanted to fight me simply because I was a white American.

Now, imagine if I had two bodyguards walking next to me, each of whom were over 6' 5" and easily weighing nearly 300 pounds with muscles threatening to rip out their shirt sleeves. Do you think my attacker would still have attempted to goad me into a fistfight? Absolutely not! I would have been completely protected, physically and emotionally, by my bodyguards.

Jesus the Heart Guard

As we continue through the phrases of Matthew 11:28-30 in this Heart of Christ blog series, we come to the phrase "you will find rest for your soul." This phrase occurs after Jesus has invited us to come to Him and take on His "yoke," learning His ways. He knows that living life the way He has designed is far more restful than trying to live life the way our selfish desires want or the way our culture around us tells us how to live.

Another way to put this is that Jesus' teaching is like a hulking bodyguard for your heart. When you choose to live in obedience to Christ, "resting your soul" in His teaching and His work through the cross and empty tomb, you will find yourself protected from the punches of the world or the lies of the accuser. But when you give in to temptation, choose to live in the pattern of the world, or willingly go your own way, you'll feel like you are fighting life's battles on your own.

I won't lie to you—initially, resting in Christ is not easy. There will be moments when everything in you screams to eat more ice cream, have one too many drinks, surf to certain websites, spend money that is not in your bank account, lie to your coworkers to cover your mistake, avoid talking with God, pull away from fellow Jesus-followers, and assume the worst about certain people.

But when you give in to those things, you will not find yourself in a more joy-filled place. Rather, you will foment even more anger, anxiety, or shame. That is why Jesus, out of His immense love for you, invites you to rest in Him, so that He can be the body guard for your heart and emotions. Then, when you are accosted verbally, physically, or mentally, you can rest knowing Jesus, the one who defeated the enemies of Death and Sin, has your back.