Editorial October 29, 2018 Issue

The pressure we want

Margaret Rogers

Feeling pressured is usually thought of as undesirable. Keeping up with the demands of normal life is challenging for many, and much more serious for those trying to escape desperate conditions. But there’s a different kind of pressure that everyone deserves to feel—one that lifts up rather than pulls down.

Christ Jesus and St. Paul were luminaries who lived under a pressure that actually gave them more confidence, strength, and joy. They faced huge demands, dangerous threats, and weariness. Crowds pressed on them for help. Some who could have supported them in their work didn’t. Corrupt powers tried to stop them from teaching spiritual ideas that freed people from oppression. Jesus struggled under the weight of materialism’s resistance to the supremacy of Spirit he taught. Paul struggled to not only spread Christ’s teaching but also keep it pure, often feeling frustrated and burdened in the face of failures and divisions.

But a greater counterpressure sustained and inspired them—the divine call to show the world God’s saving love. Jesus said: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Bible Lens

Bible Lens—October 29–November 4, 2018