| Matthew 11:28 – “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” |
Few men leave their mark, both physically and metaphorically on the world. But Samuel Plimsoll did!
Plimsoll was a young British naval officer in the 19th century. Maritime authorities had a problem. Cargo ships sank constantly. Many sank while still in the harbor. Sailors started calling them coffin ships
They did not sink because of damage from iceberg or enemy attack. It was a more dangerous enemy. They were overloaded.
Plimsoll vowed to change it. He lobbied Parliament to pass a law forbidding too heavy a load. And he made sure you knew.
The law prescribed those horizontal lines be painted on the hull of every ship. When the lines went under the waterline, the ship was overloaded. The line is called the Plimsoll line.
Today, every ship is marked with Plimsoll lines.
Don’t you wish you had Plimsoll line?
We wrestle with a sense of weariness. It’s not from overwork but from being overwhelmed…news, infection rates, rising death rates. We face questions such as “will I get sick?” or “Will I have a job?”
Jesus knew about this kind of weariness In Mark 6:34, the disciples came back from a preaching journey. They were excited but Jesus saw in their faces the drooping of weary men. He told them to come away with me and get rest.
His answer is what we need.
Come away…take time away from everything and just spend time with Jesus…prayer, Bible reading, reflection
Rest..let your soul settle. Turn off Facebook. Don’t watch the news. Just be still and rest.
Listen to the rhythm of your life and know when to come away and rest. That is your Plimsoll line.
–Robert G. Taylor
robertgtaylor.com
