Sometimes a particular message keeps coming at me. I see it and hear it everywhere over a period of weeks or months. Does that ever happen to you? For me, it's typically rooted in God's Word. And it's usually something that I need to hear. A lot. For a good reason or reasons.
Nearly a month ago I was at a church service and they asked us to listen to a few verses. To read over them, think on them, and try to discern what we were supposed to hear from God in those words. This is what I heard:
Walk with me. Work with me.
We were reading from The Message, a wonderful paraphrase of the Bible that I love to look to in addition to a traditional translation. Here's the chunk of verses in another version:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. -Matthew 11:28-30
Life has come into another busy season for me. When I have lots of work to do, I can easily become overwhelmed, which puts me in a bad place. I can forget that work is a blessing, which it is.
But I keep hearing the same message. Come to me. Walk with me. Work with me. Find rest for your soul. My burden is light. And it has changed my attitude. Walking with Jesus, even when life is work, it changes things.
So I made a pattern.
I haven't started stitching yet, but I know that I'm going to want this reminder hanging on my wall. Maybe you will too. I kept the wording simple so it can mean what you want it to mean. But I also hope you also think about what it might mean to walk with Jesus. I'd love to talk with you more about that, so if you ever want to talk, let me know. Seriously. He changes things.
I work in a church and lately, it's REALLY been WORK. You'd think working for Jesus should always be a joy and some times it is, but lately, not so much. I'm wondering if God has another plan for me? Pray for me and help in discerning God's call for my life. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely will pray. My family has worked in ministry several times, so I know what you're talking about. If you ever want to talk more, please feel free to email me. But I'll say this. The best things have come from when I or my family members have said "Lord, I want what you want. I'm open to wherever you want me to stay or go."
Deletegreat advice. I'd love to learn more... my church is offering the Alpha course in September, and I think I will do it.
DeleteYou should! I haven't ever taken the course, but everyone I know who has really enjoyed it and learned so much.
DeleteThank you for the pattern - it is lovely!
ReplyDeleteFicou lindo *-*
ReplyDeleteVou baixar agora ♥
Ganurb
Study this verse in the Hebrew and you will find a deeper richer meaning. Here is a good start http://skipmoen.com/2015/03/31/walk-this-way-3/
ReplyDeletethank you for this reminder!!! And pattern, of course!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mollie - for all of it. I consider myself a practicing Christian because I think a lot about God, and I pray. I don't go to church much, since I start to feel less comfortable when my feelings need to conform to a specific shape or form of someone else's design. Many people use Christianity as a sling for throwing stones, too, and I am definitely not a part of that. For me, it's all about love and guidance - thoughts to help me keep true to myself and follow a path that is meant for the best outcome for all things.
ReplyDeletethis pattern is lovely, thank you x
ReplyDeletehttps://justthatdiy.wordpress.com
Thank you for the lovely pattern. I have printed it and now having something lovely to stitch this weekend x
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for both the pattern and the reminder to find grace and love in everything we do and to remember Who is really in charge.
ReplyDeleteso glad to have found your blog following the turtle cleaner on another blog. Real words of wisdom you have shared today and yes I too walk with God though sometimes the walk is hard and the road seems so long
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteThank you, as always, for the pattern. Much more importantly, thank you for the reminder - it is easy getting caught up in things and trying to manage things ourselves and, for me at least, it never brings me any joy when I forget to walk with Him.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful reminder, thank you! I too tend to quickly get overwhelmed and forget the bigger picture...and what is most important...my walk with Him.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful reminder, thank you! I too tend to quickly get overwhelmed and forget the bigger picture...and what is most important...my walk with Him.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful reminder, thank you! I too tend to quickly get overwhelmed and forget the bigger picture...and what is most important...my walk with Him.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful but your words are even more so. Sometimes we confuse "happy" with "joy" and walking with Jesus gives us deep joy. Thank you for your words and witness.
ReplyDeleteMollie, this is a great reminder that we are to walk and talk with Jesus each day of our lives; because He is able to make our day less stressful and helps us keep our joy when we hem our day in prayer!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful reminder. Thank you for the pattern!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely way to start my day - with a reminder, that Jesus bids us "walk with me" ! Thank you for that timely reminder. I have tried to print your design on A4 paper, but it starts printing the design a little lower than half way down the page and it finishes off the page. Do you have any idea what I could be doing wrong. I would like to stitch this for my sewing room wall. Many thanks Molly for your words of comfort. The Lord asked you to send this message to the world. How faithful you are.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for you words of encouragement!
DeleteWhen you print, try setting it to "fit to page" or something similar to that. It will shrink the design slightly, but it shouldn't affect it other than to print better for you.
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ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that I am writing from Australia so your message is indeed being sent around the world !
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I found your blog today and that you posted that little gem reminding me that if I walk with God all my heavy burdens will be lightened! We are going through some bad times at the moment but with God's grace and blessings as well as little reminders like yours I know it will all be alright! Bless you and pray for me as I try to keep on God's path. Xxxx
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I found your blog today and that you posted that little gem reminding me that if I walk with God all my heavy burdens will be lightened! We are going through some bad times at the moment but with God's grace and blessings as well as little reminders like yours I know it will all be alright! Bless you and pray for me as I try to keep on God's path. Xxxx
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you found this too, and so sorry to hear that it's been a rough time. I will certainly be praying for you. May God lift your burdens and give you peace!
DeleteYou are such a sweet soul, Mollie...your ministry through this blog is quite a blessing. I love "The Message" and carry it with me to church every week. I love the way it translates the verses into timely words to learn and live by. We all need the message, Walk with Me... In a DIY kind of world, we need to be reminded that we need God. We can do on our own, but the outcome may be very different than what it could have or should have been. Thanks for the lovely reminder.
ReplyDeleteHandel's Messiah- "Come Unto Him"... The sweet melody set to these bible verses always reminds me of God's gentle care and lifts my spirits. Thanks for the sweet pattern!
ReplyDeleteThis is so wonderful! On Sunday my pastor spoke about Peter walking on water. He actually had a different perspective than I've ever heard. Most of us will not even get out of the boat...like 11 of the 12 disciples. But Peter just kept getting out of the boat over and over again...he jumped back in the boat several times (he was human just like us). But he just kept going. For a lot of us, we need to just get out of the boat!
ReplyDeleteMollie, this is an amazing and powerful pattern! I'm wondering, have you ever created or discovered a pattern for Joshua 1:9? I'm trying to find a cute one from the NLT version. "This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." My absolutely favorite verse! If it wasn't so long, this would be my first tattoo!
Ohmigosh! You're not going to believe this...I've had my pinterest open since yesterday, when I was looking for a print that I could hang on my wall. This is what was on screen when I looked at it just now: http://www.etsy.com/listing/174048114/bible-verse-wall-art-print-children-room
DeleteI love it when that happens!
DeleteI did make a Joshua 1:9 pattern, because that was another one that kept showing up in my life. You can find it here: http://wildolive.blogspot.com/2013/10/pattern-joshua-19.html
Mollie, this is perfect! Thank you so much!
DeleteLove this, may I just say that the message is not a paraphrase. It is a totally new translation from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteThe Word of God, not someones interpretation of what he thinks it says.
That's an interesting point...according o the front of my Message Bible, Eugene Peterson worked from the original Hebrew and Greek, but they do call it a paraphrase. Maybe because the words chosen were to make it more alive, rather than the most literal/accurate translation? The Living Bible started as a paraphrase, then had an overhaul to become the New Living Translation. Love these thoughts!
DeleteVery nice! Thank you
ReplyDeleteSimone
What a blessing you are! Just downloaded this and can't wait to stitch it! The Lord is so good to us! The message I keep seeing lately is the number 66, I can only assume, God is prompting me to read the bible start to finish because there are 66 books in the Bible!?! Xo - your sister in Christ!
ReplyDeleteWhether that's an official 66 prompting or not, I say go for it! I use You Version (the Bible app), and they have awesome reading plans for reading through the whole Bible in a year. I've done the chronological plan a few times, and am now doing another that takes two years, but has extra Psalm reading.
DeleteIt's a huge commitment, but one that is so very rewarding.