Jesus’ teachings can startle you when they seem to be contradictory. How can you die to live, labor to rest, or give to receive? The paradoxes Jesus presents bring you face-to-face with the fact that you can’t know all the answers about life – but you can know the One who designed it.

Pondering the paradoxes can lead you to trust Jesus more, and experience the peace that only He can give. Here’s how you can learn from Jesus’ paradoxes:

* Laboring to rest: Hear God’s call to follow Him and accept the “yoke” of discipleship. But realize that, while discipleship demands your whole life, it also renews you. Unlike self-imposed burdens (such as laboring at a job you don’t like), serving Jesus brings you joy and fresh energy as God empowers you. Understand that if you’re willing to commit your life to Jesus, the effort will be worthwhile and lead to rest, peace, and freedom you couldn’t find otherwise. Spend time in prayer regularly, and give your worries and burdens to Jesus, trusting that He will help you rest from your weariness.

* Walking by faith, not by sight: Realize the difference between sight and insight. Understand that there’s much more to the world than the physical aspects you can see. Ask God to give you the faith to see the world more and more as He sees it. Rather than trusting in what you see (which is temporary), place your trust in what you don’t see (which is eternal). Commit your dreams and goals to God, remembering that He has a plan that transcends what you can see as you move through life. Choose to live not according to your own limited view, but by the limitless possibilities of God. Ask God to transform you as you do so.