E010 - A Rhythm of Labor (Part 1)

A few weeks ago, God gave me this phrase: “rhythm of labor.” As I sat with it, He began to reveal something powerful.

I’m really excited to share with you! Today’s episode has some incredible insights. So, buckle up, this could be a wild ride!

Transcript

Cheyne Stilwell: 0:00

Hey, there you're listening to the royal awakening podcast. I'm Cheyne Stilwell, and this is the Royal Awakening podcast, where we are all about waking up the royal family to who they really are, unifying them as one and partnering together with the Original Royal Family to see breakthrough transformation and restoration in hearts, minds and lives all over, no more living like an orphaned pauper. You are meant to live, move and be a royal so let's get into it. Hey there. Thanks for stopping by today, I'm really excited to share with you, and I promise today's episode has some incredible insights. So buckle up. This could be a wild ride. Before we jump in, I want to say a huge thank you to those who responded to my last episode's ask you helped us cover some key bills, and I'm so grateful. It's a miracle, and it shows what happens when we follow God's promptings, even when they seem illogical. Your obedience is part of the journey, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Today's episode builds on what we talked about last time. I've been reflecting a lot on what I'm about to share, and I think it's going to resonate with you too. In fact, there's so much to unpack that we're breaking this into multiple parts, but for now, let's dig into this first one. I volunteer at a local prayer house in the Nashville area, where I spend time in worship and prayer. A few weeks ago, God gave me this phrase, rhythm of labor. As I sat with it, he began to reveal something powerful. It's all about the yoke. You might already be familiar with Matthew 1128, through 30, where Jesus calls to us to take his yoke upon us, because it's light and easy. But what does that really mean? Let's break it down. With a plow system, which is still used in many parts of the world. Farmers use a yoke to pair two oxen together to pull a plow. What's fascinating is that they often pair a younger, less experienced ox with an older, seasoned one. The older ox guides the younger one, teaching it the rhythm and pace of pulling the plow. This is the image Jesus gives us when he says, Take my yoke upon you. He's calling us into a partnership with him. He's the experienced ox, and we're the younger ones learning the unforced rhythms of grace. We're not meant to carry the load alone. Instead, we walk with Jesus, learning from Him. And here's the really amazing part, the yoke is custom fitted for each of us. In Jesus' time, yokes were handmade to fit the specific oxen that would carry them. This means the yoke He offers us isn't one size fits all. It's tailored perfectly for who we are, to match our unique strengths and calling. To do a little bit of a deeper dive here, when we consider what is required to make a custom fitted yoke, we realize an important point... the farmer has to own BOTH oxen. To put it another way, both oxen must ALREADY BELONG to the farmer. This leads to some interesting questions. I won't get into all that at the moment. I'll simply let you sit with that thought for now. Maybe you've been feeling worn out or burdened. Maybe you've been trying to carry everything on your own, but friend, the good news is that you don't have to. Jesus is calling us into this beautiful rhythm of labor where we're yoked with him, and the load becomes lighter. His burden is light because we're not meant to carry it alone. What I love about this image is how it reflects our relationship with God. Just like the young ox learns from the older one, we learn by walking in lockstep with God. It's about relationship, not striving. It's about partnership, not performance. In fact, Eugene Peterson's Message translation captures this beautifully. It says, Walk with me and work with me. Watch how I do it, learn the unforced rhythms of grace. There it is again. Doesn't that sound like freedom? It's not about forcing ourselves to keep up. It's about letting God set the pace, and as we walk in step with him, we discover His grace in every moment. As I've reflected on this, I'm reminded that each of us has a rhythm uniquely designed by God, just like each yoke is custom made, each of us has a rhythm of labor that fits who we are. When we operate in that rhythm, things flow, we experience peace, joy and purpose. I know that in some ways, what I've said today may challenge what you've been taught or what you've believed. It's different from what I grew up thinking, too. But I encourage you to sit with this and test it for yourself. Let Holy Spirit, the"open book" for the test, guide you into deeper understanding. Now, before we wrap up today's episode, I want to leave you with this one more time. You are not meant to bear the load alone. God has designed a rhythm for your life that is full of grace, and he's calling to you to walk in step with him. I'll be diving even deeper into this idea in Part Two, where we'll talk about how Paul experienced"the yoke" in his life. But for now, I encourage you to meditate on the idea of a custom yoke that's perfectly suited for you. For this podcast, even for part one, I've had to trim out some of the content. But if you're interested in hearing more of the deep dive into what I covered today, drop me a line using my linktree and let me know if you'd like me to post it up on my substack. You can find out more about that in the show notes. In the meantime, here is another song for you. I wrote this a couple years ago, and as I was preparing for this episode, it feels like a great fit to go with this episode. It's called Earth like heaven. Hope you enjoy it.

(Song: 6:39

"Earth Like Heaven" - (c) 2024 Cheyne Stilwell. All Rights Reserved.) Again, I hope you enjoyed that song. I've actually played out with that song at a number of open mics and writers rounds in the Nashville area. It's available on all music streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. If you'd like to listen to it on its own, just look up my name. Remember it starts with a C. If today's episode has blessed or encouraged you, would you consider partnering with me? This podcast is part of my livelihood and a way to share valuable content with you and others. I believe in the value for value model. If you found value here today, you can give back in whatever way you feel led. It could be $1 $5 $20 $50 etc. Every little bit helps me continue creating this content and building our royal community. You can find all the details for sharing your treasure in the Show Notes. And if sharing your treasure isn't an option right now, you can still support the podcast through sharing your time. Consider leaving a five star review or sharing it with someone who needs to hear this message, and also by standing with us in prayer. Also consider dropping me a line by using my linktree to send a message. You can let me know how the podcast is impacting your life. Leave words of encouragement, ask questions, suggest ideas for future topics, or send me a prayer request. So let me hear from you. Thank you so much for being part of this journey with me. I appreciate each and every one of you, and I look forward to continuing this conversation in part two, until then, keep leaning into the unforced rhythms of grace and that"rhythm of labor", and remember, you're never alone in this journey. We're in this together with Father Son and Spirit the original royal family. Thank you for listening.(Outro) Thanks again for listening to this podcast episode of Royal Awakening with Cheyne Stilwell. You can find me on several platforms, including Apple podcasts, Spotify, and others. Please subscribe to this podcast for more great content and to be notified as new episodes are released. Also, I would greatly appreciate a five star review from you, which will help get this podcast in front of other people. I now have a link tree! click on the link in the show notes to get my podcast web page for your preferred platform or for the RSS feed, or to schedule a free 30 minute breakthrough coaching call where you can learn more about how to accelerate moving from surviving like a pauper to living like a royal, or to give of your treasure towards supporting the podcast as part of community living, under a"Value For Value" model. Heads up. To deliver even more value to my listening community, I am in the process of adding content that's only available to those using podcasting 2.0 supported apps. If you don't know what podcasting 2.0 is or what apps support it, click on the links in the show notes under "More Info About." Once again, this is Cheyne Stilwell, wishing you all the best in your endeavors to LIVE as a royal, to MOVE as a royal and to BE a royal. Have an amazing day. We'll talk soon.