Unicycles. As a little kid, I was fascinated by these things. I mean, learning to ride a bike with two wheels was hard enough. But one wheel!? Come on! Whether I saw someone ride one at a fair or at a parade, as a kid I knew that one day I would have to try to ride one. As I grew up, I eventually forgot about wanting to ride a unicycle.

Until I was in college.

College is a place for a lot of different things. It’s a place to learn. It’s a place to make life-long friends. And it’s a place where college students do some really dumb things… like trying to ride a unicycle. I don’t remember who had the unicycle or where it came from, but there it lay before me… calling for me to try to ride it. Ok, maybe it wasn’t the unicycle calling out to me to ride it. Maybe it was my friends. Regardless of who was calling out to me, this was my chance to try to ride a unicycle.

I thought getting on would be the hardest thing about riding the unicycle. It wasn’t. That was by far the easiest. After adjusting the seat, I raised the unicycle up. Placed the tire on the ground. Placed one foot on one pedal. And simultaneously pushed down on that pedal and raised my other foot to place it on the second pedal. And just like that, I was riding a unicycle!

I was surprised that I was able to keep the unicycle up after just a couple of tries. And, I was equally surprised at how unstable it all felt. But I kept going. I kept pedaling. Around and around and around in a circle in a parking lot on our campus. I wanted to stop… for a couple of reasons. One, I was getting closer to cars that were parked in that lot. And two, the raised sidewalk was getting closer with each circle I made. But just like getting on the unicycle was the easiest part, getting off the unicycle for me was the hardest part.

So I just kept pedaling.

I wanted to stop riding the unicycle, but I just couldn’t figure out the best way to stop. So I kept pedaling. It was like my feet were stuck on those pedals. Around. And Around. And around. I kept pedaling. The cars and the curb getting closer each time. All the while my friends were simultaneously cheering me on not knowing that I was mentally unable to get off of this one-wheeled ride I was on. And then… I rode the unicycle straight into the curb. Not on purpose. I was out of control. And when that wheel hit the curb and suddenly stopped, it threw me off the seat and onto the sidewalk where I was able to tuck and roll making it look like it was all done on purpose.

Tired and a little scraped up, that was the last time I rode a unicycle. I gave it up. I’m letting the pros handle it and I laugh to myself each time I see someone ride a unicycle at a parade we’re at.

And while I’ve never gotten back on a unicycle, there have been and are still times in my life where I have felt and feel like I’m riding around in a circle, with my feet stuck, pedaling and pedaling and pedaling… feeling like I’m stuck riding around on a one-wheeled bike. That feeling of a life that is crazy busy. Where we’re rushing from meeting to meeting. Appointment to appointment. Activity to activity. And instead of enjoying life, we’re rushing everywhere, living in a constant state of hurry. And we allow our emotions to be affected by the continual rush of the schedule.

Maybe you can relate.

Or maybe it’s not the schedule you can relate to. Maybe it’s the spinning of your mind. Maybe you’re in a waiting season. You’re waiting for an answer from a university you want to attend. You’re waiting for an answer to a job you’ve been going after. Maybe you’re waiting for an answer from that guy or girl you’ve been wanting to date. Or you’re been praying to God for what’s next in life… and you’re waiting for a clear answer. And instead of having peace in the waiting, your mind keeps racing as you constantly go over the “what-if’s.” And you just can’t get rest… You can’t get peace.

Regardless of whether your being controlled by your schedule or by your mind, God does have something to say about living in a constant state of hurry… in a constant state of restlessness. Check this out, it’s found in Matthew chapter 11, verses 28 through 30:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

God’s plan for your life… For my life… isn’t to live in a constant state of hurry, in a constant state of restlessness. God wants you to live in peace. He wants you to have rest. In fact, God calls each of us to come to Him. If you are tired. He wants you to come to Him. If you are carrying the heavy weight of worry… Whatever it is… financial worry, health worry, worry about a job, school or child or relationship… Jesus is calling out to each of us and He will give us rest. He will give us peace. Jesus came, walked this earth, suffered the horrible torture of the cross and overcame death so that He could give us rest for our souls.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m living in a constant state of worry or in a constant state of hurry, most of my worst moments are made. I’m usually not being loving, or living in joy. I’m usually not able to be kind or experience peace. Those things are not compatible with hurry, restlessness and worry. And when I find myself living within the restlessness, hurry and worry, it’s usually because my focus has drifted from the goodness of God in my life… It’s usually because my focus has shifted off of Jesus. You know, the average iPhone user touches his or her phone over 2,600 times a day. Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, our phones are almost always in front of our eyes.

What would our lives look like if God touched our hearts and minds as much as we touched our phones. Psalm 16:8 says,

I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8

Imagine how much our lives might change if we would keep our eyes on Jesus. If you find you’re living in a constant state of hurry, or in a constant state of mental restlessness, Jesus is calling out to you today so that you can finally find rest and peace for your soul.