Hamster Wheel Grind

READ: MATTHEW 6:9-13; 28:19-20; ROMANS 12:2; 1 JOHN 2:17

Rat race.
Hamster wheel.
Grind.

Eat, sleep, work,
Repeat.
This is on my mind.

Lost in the mundane.
Stuck in the chaos.
A purpose will I find?

Empty.
Hollow.
In frustration, I sigh.

Your light.
Your leading.
Into the daily, it shines.

Your will,
Your way,
My life, forever entwined.

It’s easy to get caught up in the relentlessness of the grind. In everyday life, all the stress and minutia can make us lose sight of a more eternal purpose. “Soccer practice! Homework! Mom’s yelling! Should I go to college?! Why are my friends acting weird?!”

In the midst of all this, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). As God the Son, He came into our broken world—experiencing the same difficult, mundane, painful things we do—so we could “have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Jesus empathizes with our struggles, and He died and rose again so we could be in relationship with the God of the universe, which is what we were made for!

Once we know Jesus, God our Father invites us to be part of His good kingdom work (Proverbs 3:5-6; Ephesians 1:9; 2:10; Philippians 2:13). As we walk with Him through the everyday, we can rest in His love and hold on to His eternal purpose, continuing to pray in the words of our Savior, “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10; 26:39). • Dominique E. Miller

• In what ways has your life felt hollow? How does Jesus free us from chasing after the things the world prioritizes? What are we free to pursue instead? (Matthew 6:25-34; 11:28-30)

[Jesus said,] “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.” Matthew 11:29 (NIV)