The Burden is Light

     BOOK REVIEW: Forget success, comparison, and applause. There's a better way to measure what matters.  Cemetery headstones are as diverse as the people they represent. But all have one thing in common---the birth and death dates are always separated by a small dash. Our whole lives on earth come down to that dash.
     Most of us want to have our eventual dash reflect truth and goodness, beauty and joy, depth and meaning. Imagine the peace of knowing you will have no regrets as you finish this race called life because you lived each day in a way that mattered for the moment and for eternity. New York City pastor Jon Tyson wants to make sure that is the story of your dash.
     But that doesn't come easy. Your story is not neutral or unopposed. A constant tug-of-war between the ways of this world and the wonder of the gospel competes for your attention.....and your heart. The Burden is Light shows how to overcome the distractions that lure us to "mislive" for prosperity, pleasure, and performance. There's a better way forward. Discover it and you'll find your voice and purpose through a beautifully countercultural, God-centered life.

     MY REVIEW:   I have never heard a more clear, comprehensible description of life on earth. A simple dash, the smallest line between birth and death. A sliver of space and time granted each of us. No time to fall under the influences of Comparison, Competition, Control, Cursing, Complacency, Judgment, Pride, or Distraction. Jon dedicates a chapter to each of these habits, or mindsets, and why we can't allow our precious dash to be whisked away by these things. He then gives the antidote, or reverse mindset---the right way to live.
     One section that stood out to me was on Comparison, and several reasons it comes so forcibly to us. Sometimes it is a false sense of identity, or a lack of one. Or a fear of living less than those around us. Whatever the reason, living in a constant comparison with those around you will never leave you feeling successful, or even important. There are always going to be people better than you in different areas. But when we put our identity and security in Jesus, we are freed from the burdens of comparison.
     Another section I want to reference is Control. We as humans do not like feeling helpless. And being human, we think we actually can control life. There are different reasons for trying to control people and circumstances around us. A prevalent one is Fear. Fear of being ignored or passed-over, fear of rejection or losing those we love, fear of the consequences of what we see happening around us. But when we try to control everything, we always lose. "Control is an illusion. The more we seek to mitigate risk by seizing power, the more we drive people away and distance ourselves from God. Rather than securing our future, we jeopardize it." (pg 69)"The reverse to Control is Surrender. Surrender to God, to let Him rule our lives, rather than trying to control it ourselves.
     The last section I want to mention is Judgment. "When we walk around judging people rather than advocating for them, we facilitate the work of the Enemy in their lives. When we read the Gospels, we find it wasn't the immoral but the self-righteous who were the biggest hindrance to the mission of Jesus in the world." (pg 136) In place of judging others on the tiny picture we can see, we need to extend Mercy. The same Mercy God extended to us.

   I received a copy of this book from BLOGGING FOR BOOKS. I was not required to write a positive review, all opinions expressed are mine.