For All Our Toil... Luke 12:27

"Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

     For all our toil, for all our striving, for all our work, what do we gain? That which we gain, that which we accomplish, that which we earn pales in comparison to the most simple of God's works, of God's creations, of God's "toil". The most extravagant thing that man can do does not compare to the least work of God. The very best that we can do is nothing in light of what God can do.
     And yet, we struggle and strive, toil and labor toward what we feel is a good end. We wear ourselves out, burden ourselves, and load anxiety upon anxiety upon ourselves in order that we might accomplish our goals, and in the end, we find that those goals which we set for ourselves don't even bring the satisfaction which we so craved. We become stressed, burdened, wearied, and depressed; we just short of give up and throw in the towel, realizing that nothing we can do will get us anywhere. In frustration and humiliation at our own inablity to get where we wanted to go, we look up. We look up, and we see Him: Jesus.
     He was there the whole time, watching us fail, watching us struggle, watching us overwork ourselves and wear ourselves out. Why didn't He help? Why didn't He lift a finger to remove some of this weight from us? Why did He just stand there? And we look at Him, angry, perplexed, and grieved by our burdens. And then He speaks.

     Jesus was standing there the whole time, watching, waiting. He didn't help you by carrying some of your burden, because He wants you to cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. He doesn't just want to take some of the pain away, some of the toil, some of the anxiety; He wants to take it all away, and in place of your burdens and your yoke, He wants to give you His yoke, His burden, which is easy and light. And this is His burden: love Him; trust Him.
     There is nothing we need to achieve, nothing we must accomplish. Success changes from how much money you make and what your social-status is to how closely you are walking in tune with God's will for your life. All the toil that you once worked at, all the trying that you once did, these are all gone now, and all that is left is perfect peace, perfect rest, trusting Jesus Christ with your heart and with your life, that He who started a good work is faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.