When I first published this post, it was related to a video I came across on Facebook. Unfortunately, the video has now been removed so I can no longer share it here. To briefly summarise in order to make sense of the below post (published in 2015), it was a clip of women of all ages, body shapes and with grey hair. They were all talking directly into the camera about learning to embrace their age and learning to let go of all the expectations they and the world had placed on them with regard to their appearance.  It went beyond just their appearance and into the general expectations on women. The women had no make-up on, and they were very organic and natural. They were also powerful. Something within the clip really caught my attention and hence the post below.

At first, I thought there was something just naturally beautiful about this clip. Initially, I liked it because the ladies in it, all different ages, have grey hair. I love that they’ve accepted their grey hair because although I am only 48, I am learning to accept mine. So I thought wow, that’s cool, maybe there’ll be a revolution among Western women to let their hair be its natural colour; now that’d be something!

I noticed more women were ‘liking’ the video which I ended up sharing on my Facebook timeline so I watched it a few more times. It seemed to really resonate with the cry of so many women’s hearts in this Western society. It seemed to reach right into the core of our beings as women including mine.

Now, I’ve never considered myself to be any kind of ‘women’s lib’ advocate. To be honest, and please don’t be offended, it’s just never concerned me that much. Call me naïve, ignorant, lazy, call me whatever; it’s just not an issue I’ve bothered with. So I was kind of surprised at this deep reaction inside of me to the cry of the women in this video. Then it hit me.

It’s the cry for the church! I began to hear the words of these women and see the expression in their faces, as that of the Lord in and for His bride! I could hear the plea of the Lord’s heart for her to stop agonising over works and exhausting herself with self-effort as though she can be anything or do anything at all in her own strength. I began to hear how ludicrous it is for the church to let herself come under bondage again to the law. Try hard, try harder, fail, give up, try again, try hard, try harder…Oh! It’s painful and sad just to think about it.

I began to hear the soft gentle whisper of our Lord, saying “Come unto Me! All you who are weary, and heavy laden…I will give you rest for your souls…my burden is light! My yoke is easy!” I began to hear the word of the Lord to His very own body, to His very own bride, to His very own family.

I think these women can be representing the voice of the church, the bride of Christ, calling out to all her members, to say come out from ‘works’ and just ‘rest’ in Jesus. If we listen and watch this video through the eyes of what the Lord is saying to us, His church, I think we’ll be relieved to once again be reminded that “It is finished”.

I can hear the saints of the Old Testament crying out to us saying that now they understand the freedom of Christ, why are we living like they used to? They’re saying that if they were us living here in our time, they would embrace this incredible Christ and the freedom Christ died for and not return to being bound by the law with all it’s works – serving on the committee, having to prepare a sermon every week, be on the visiting team, run a new discipleship class, attend the conferences, run the youth group, play the drums in the ‘worship’ band, be early for every ‘service’, attend the prayer meetings, contribute to the building fund, join the street witnessing team, bring people to church, go to bible college, become a strong church leader…and so on. You know how it goes.

After beginning with the Spirit are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? asks Paul of the Galatian church (Galatians 3:3).

When Christ came and set us free from the law by fulfilling it for us, He took away the danger of us burning out from religion.

Some quotes from the video:

…Pressure to be the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect friend….to be successful, a boss, a leader…

…If I had my time again I wouldn’t create a To-Do’ list, I’d create a ‘To-Don’t Do-list…

…I’d give myself the time to indulge myself in the things I now understand are the most important…

Christian, the most important is Christ Himself. Let’s indulge in Him and Him alone. Let’s give up on the expectations of the world and the law of religion that do not belong to us.  Let’s stop concerning ourselves with ‘doing’ and just ‘be’. Let’s ‘be’ the church, the bride, the beloved of our Lord. Let’s indulge in Him and in doing so find our identity, our purpose, our joy and our rest.

41But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:41-42.