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(Written October 2024)
Anyone who has travelled internationally via plane can relate to the difficulties brought on by the changes in time. Since car, train or boat travel get you to your destination slow enough that your body can acclimate to different time zones, the phenomenon brought on by airline travel has affectionately been dubbed, "jet lag"!
The first time I experienced jet lag was on my first trip to Europe back in the 1980s. I couldn't understand why, after such a long, tiring plane ride, I couldn't sleep more than an hour or two! This was even worse when we travelled to New Zealand and Australia, with 18 and 14 hour time changes respectively. Why then, was I so surprised when I couldn't sleep after a 12 hour time change in my recent flight to China? It took me over a week to acclimate to the new time zone, and now, two days after my return, I haven't been able to sleep at all!
This is because our bodies tend to follow a certain rhythm. When that rhythm is broken, it throws us completely off cycle.
It would appear that changes to our rhythm aren't always a result of jet lag. I recently had to put my husband in long term care. Maybe I didn't change time zones, but I was completely thrown off rhythm. Nothing was the way it should have been, and my system was completely disrupted. This may not have been a result of a long plane ride to a completely different time zone, but anything that brings change to our comfortable rhythm completely upsets our life cycles.
We know that changes were inevitable, for the World's wisest man tells us that everything has its season (See Eccl. 3:1). This is why Jesus tells that in this world we will have trouble (See John 16:33)!
Jesus also knows that change will upset the natural rhythm of our lives, for He gives us the solution to such changes in this oft-quoted verse from Matthew 11: "Come to Me, all 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 comfortable, and My burden is light.” (Vs 28-30 NASB).
I believe that many of us quote this verse quite lightly, understanding the meaning as being this: we give our troubles to Jesus and there are no consequences. If we look deeper into this familiar passage, however, we see Jesus revealing a vital truth: giving our burdens to Jesus doesn't mean things get easy! Why else would Jesus say, "Take my yoke upon you..."? I don't know about you, but the word "yoke" doesn't conjure up a feeling of being free! An ox that is given a yoke is expected to not only bear a burden but also to be under the guidance and control of the ox driver! Jesus goes on to say, "For My yoke is comfortable and My burden is light." The words "comfortable" and "light" again seem to conjure up the idea that once we've given the problems to Jesus we don't have any further suffering. Yet the reference again to "yoke" and also to "burden" don't send us warm fuzzies, do they? Rather, they speak to us that things won't necessarily be comfortable!
The bottom line is this: Changes are inevitable; and even when we surrender them to Jesus, it doesn't mean that we won't suffer any consequences. Just like the airplane leave us jet lagged, unable to sleep until our bodies have time to "catch up" to the local time, changes in life also leave us disoriented, and giving our burdens to Jesus doesn't remove all of the pain we will have to endure. What it does do, however, is it ensures us that despite everything, we will have rest for our souls and the burdens we bear will become comfortable and light.
I suppose I could have refused to travel to China. That way I wouldn't have had to deal with the time change and ensuing jet lag; but I would also have missed out on my son's wedding, to say nothing of the excellent and authentic Chinese cuisine, learning about the culture, and climbing the great wall! We don't always have the luxury of choosing the changes in life that come our way, but we can be sure that when we rely on Jesus, when we give Him our burdens and surrender completely to Him, then our own difficulties will be a lot more comfortable and light. And in the end, perhaps there will also be something good coming out of the situation, for doesn't God promise that all things work together for the good (See Romans 8:28)?
It is 11:30 am in my current time zone... Maybe I should go take a nap! Maybe then I wouldn't feel so tired after not sleeping all night!
It is 4 weeks since I had to put my husband in long term care... It still hurts, but I choose to "take a nap", to surrender to Jesus and allow Him to carry me through!
What about you?
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
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