The Unforced Rhythms

One of the most important teachings of Jesus about the idea of grace is found in Matthew 11:25-30 MSG.

Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

“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.”

The truth is, this is a tough one for me. I'm a perfectionist, a go-getter. I'm an extrovert, and I'm a do it myself kind of guy. So, when I read Jesus’ words about connection with something beyond myself and settling into this rhythm of life, I have some trouble doing it. I love that idea of a rhythm, a sense of balance, a sense of purpose and meaning. But often, this means a rhythm that is quieter and slower than the pace I would like to keep. And it means trusting God!

As a professor at George Fox University, this is something that continues to challenge and grow me, because the University has a Quaker background. You may or may not know much about the Quakers, but their spiritual disciplines are very reflective, meditative, quiet, and humble. The reality is that it’s a good discipline for me to be in an environment where I have to move outside of the way I'm wired to live life.

It is not atypical for me to sit in a meeting where we are trying to reach conclusions and make decisions and for someone to say, "Let's go ahead and just have about 30 minutes of silence, just to see if God is going to speak. We’re going to take the time to reflect a little bit before we move forward with this really important thing that we're doing in the school or the department. And if God moves, and you want to say something, then we invite you to share that. If not, then I just invite you to be silent during this time."

Oh my gosh, I don't know about you, but on the inside I'm like, "30 minutes of silence?! Let's just take a nap, for crying out loud!" That's not how I'm wired. It is a real discipline for me to be alert and engaged and reflective during those times of silence and contemplation.

And yet, I’ve seen the way the Spirit works when we choose to do just that. Not only in the room, but in my own heart and life.

There are times when we have to slow down. When we purposely invite the Spirit into places where we might rush in on our own and try to figure stuff out, we end up with a lot less chaos and mistakes that we have to back and fix.

But look at what Jesus says about these unforced rhythms of grace: there is real rest for our souls. There is a chance to recover our lives. There is a Spirit who will walk with us and work with us, and who will teach us how to live freely and lightly.

This, my friends, is the way of grace.

Author: Dr. Richard Shaw

Dr. Richard Shaw is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Mental Health Counselor. He is an ordained minister with the International Foursquare Church and he is an Associate Professor of Counseling at George Fox University. He has traveled extensively in the U.S. and overseas to teach and facilitate workshops for his groundbreaking work around shame and grace. Richard is originally from the great state of Nebraska and currently lives with his wife, Karen, in the pacific Northwest. He loves both college and pro football and he enjoys spending time on the Oregon Coast. He has two adult children in education and ministry.

This excerpt is taken from Dr. Shaw’s book, Shame No More.