“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.] 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. 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.” Matthew 11:28-30
Have you ever walked onto a new car lot and been met by an overzealous salesman who eagerly wanted to sell you a car? You try everything you can to avoid him but eventually he wins the cat and mouse game and catches up with you. Now imagine that this scenario happens next. At first his words seem annoying and unbelievable but as he eloquently presents the information about the car you are looking at you stop and begin to listen to him. He tells you that this car is the best vehicle ever made and able to take you anywhere you want to go in ease and comfort. Your mind begins to race as images of your dream vacation come to mind and you imagine yourself pulling up to the resort in your brand new car.
He tells you the windows are noise resistant so you will not be bothered by the sounds of the road and he says the seats are tailor made for comfort and can be adjusted to your body type so that you will fit securely in them. Before he opens the door for you to get in you look down at your clothes and they are covered in dirt because you just got done working in the yard. You hesitate to get in but he tells you not to worry because the car is equipped with a special laundering system that automatically cleans your clothes the minute you sit in the seat. You think to yourself, “Yeah right, I have never heard of such a thing.” But he assures you that it is true and just for curiosity sake you decide to believe him.
He opens the door and you slide into the passenger’s seat and are greeted by the fresh aroma of leather. Your mind begins to embrace the experience as you imagine yourself driving down the road in this beautiful car. You are so overwhelmed by the initial experience that you don’t even notice that somehow your once dirty clothes are now sparkling clean. But as you look down you see that your clothes are no longer dirty and you picture yourself in middle of the twilight zone because this is too strange and too good to be true, but you keep silent because you don’t even know what to say. He turns the engine on and it is so quiet you can barely hear it and then he turns on the air conditioner and you feel the coldest air you have ever felt coming through the vents. He informs you that this car was designed with a special cooling system that emulates a home refrigeration unit.
As you sit there and enjoy the cool air he switches on the radio and the car is engulfed with the most amazing sounds of music you have ever heard. He tells you that this car is equipped with a sound system that brings the music to life through speakers that are wired throughout the car. You have never heard of such a thing and you begin to get excited at the thought of owning this car. As you shut the door your seat belt automatically fastens around you and at first you are shocked by the experience but then he says that one of the greatest things about the car is that it is designed to keep you safe and there is nothing you have to physically do to keep yourself secure in the seat.
As he puts the car into drive and steps on the gas pedal you notice that his hands are not on the steering wheel. He notices the concerned look on your face and responds to it by saying, “Oh I didn’t tell you but this car drives its self. All you have to do is type in your desired destination in the computer and the car automatically takes you there. It is designed with special micro chips that make it perform at the right speed, stop at lights, avoid accidents, etc. Seriously you do not have to do one thing to drive this car! All you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy your ride.” Now you begin to be very skeptical because this is over the top and there is no way he is telling you the truth. But as the car pulls out of the car lot and onto the street his words prove to be true. You are astonished! Now you really want to own this car!
It is a miracle car that you never before imagined existed! Throughout the test drive you discover one thing after another that sets this car apart from all the other cars on the road and you want to own it more than anything you have ever wanted. As the car pulls back into the car lot and you get out he informs you that all you have to do is go into the office and sign the paperwork. There’s a skip in your step as you make your way to the office and you have butterflies in your stomach. But then you remember that there was no sales price on the windshield and you get very nervous at the thought of how much this car must cost.
You hesitate for a moment and actually consider leaving because in your mind it would be better to embrace the experience instead of discovering that you cannot afford to buy the car that gave you the experience. But at that moment a man greets you at the door and ushers you into his office before you have the chance to say that you have changed your mind. You sit in a chair and wait for him to tell you the price of the car. He slides a sheet of paper in front of you and asks you to sign it. As you are picking up the pen he says, “By the way did the salesman tell you that this car is completely free of charge? All that we ask is that you come back to the car lot once a week and visit with the other people on the lot and listen to a car care message presented by the owner of the car lot. To be continued......
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