My soul craves the old, simple ways of life, slowing down and savoring each moment, holding my kids close and not letting go. But in our fast-paced, go-go-go culture, there is constant shouting . . . “hustle harder” . . . “be superior” . . . “achieve greatness.”

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And yet, this time of year, only days before the holiday season begins, I sense my soul resisting. There’s a restlessness in my spirit, fighting the natural and hungering the supernatural. There’s an internal tug-of-war raging, wanting to lean away from the worldly entrapments that distract and lean in towards the eternal deliverance that only a tiny babe brings.

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And I begin to ask . . .

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These simple ways I crave – are they really an unattainable dream?

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Is my exuberant heart wrong in longing for more meaning and purpose this season?

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Is there a way to point my heart and the hearts of my children towards the babe in the manager and away from the consumerism that attempts to surround and suffocate?

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Questions. Confusion. Chaos. My head begins to spin. The lights. The tinsel.

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The gifts . . .

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Yet, isn’t there just one gift? The One true gift.

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In a still second, I hear the voice of the Gift gently whisper in my ear, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

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I begin to feel the weight of my own yoke – the one I chose to place upon my shoulders and tie around my neck – begin to lighten. My body senses the lessening of weight.

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I feel the chains of my own entrapment begin to fall and hear them crash down to the ground. With a deep breath, my lungs fill with air, and I can once again breathe. This lightness – this steady rhythm of inhale and exhale – is how it must feel to take upon His yoke.

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The heaviness of my spirit melts away – and peace engulfs me.

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This season – even in the midst of the loud, the busy, and the distracting – is all because of Him. It’s all FOR Him – the tiny babe who came to sacrifice Himself for a hurting world – this babe – the One who is willing to take the yoke of my burdens upon his shoulders and offer me rest.

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In an empty, dark cave, in the silence of night, He was quietly birthed into human arms. And in the dark of the midday sky with roaring thunder – ground trembling – His soul returned to the arms of Heaven.

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And yet, with His re-entry to Heaven, He did not return empty-armed. Through conquering the tomb, a tomb made empty by His defeating death, he conquered death for our empty souls.

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An empty tomb . . . for empty souls.

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For my empty soul – the one I too often forget He has already made full. The one He has cleansed with His blood. The one He has made new.

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So this emptiness of life, of the distractions of this season – the ones that I choose to yoke around my neck – the ones that drag me down and attempt to steal my peace – He has already filled with His peace.

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The peace I seek is already here. He reentered Heaven, so He could leave behind His peace – the true peace that gives rest to the weary and comfort to heavy-laden. From this peace, He also paved a way for each of us to enter into His presence.

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And when my yoke feels too heavy, I’ll begin to ask, “To whom am I yoking myself?”

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The One choosing to yoke Himself to me merely desires to sit beside, give me rest, bear the weight of my yoke, and gently steer me in the direction He knows is best. This heavy yoke I feel is because I’ve chosen to yoke myself to something other than Him.

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So when the busyness of this holiday season starts to overwhelm, you’ll find me drawing away from the hustle – and drawing near to the babe who started it all.

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When life presses in and chaos wants to plant its ugly root into my spirit and drink me dry, I’m choosing to just sit here – hand-in-hand with the babe – and drink in the peace only being fully rooted in Him can bring.

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Love, Macki