Application

By Jon Wren

Did you know Google receives more than 2 million job applications each year? Of those applicants, only about 0.02 percent are hired—after up to 29 different interviews! Harvard University receives 40,000 applications each year and accepts fewer than 2,000. But neither of those can rival the stringent vetting of Chick-fil-A!

Chick-fil-A receives more than 50,000 franchise applications per year and contacts only 60 to 100 people for an interview. (Contacting 100 applicants from among 50,000 equates to 0.002 percent.) The process subsequently involves up to 10 interviews, 12 written essays, and includes a final “make it or break it” interview with a senior vice president. It is easier to get into Harvard or Google than Chick-fil-A!

Whether we like it or not, one of the world’s strongest, most consistent messages is this: You must prove yourself. We hear it everywhere—when applying for a job, trying out for a team, or asking someone for a date.

But in a world that constantly tells us we must prove ourselves, Jesus, thankfully, says something different. He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus offers an invitation with no minimum requirements.

That means our heavenly Father doesn’t give us a checklist to complete or a standard we must meet to be accepted and loved. It means you and I are loved and valued by our Father as we are, not as we think we should be. Jesus says individuals who are weary or burdened still are wanted.

Communion reminds us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The cross is the ultimate expression of how valuable we are to him. Today let’s celebrate and give thanks that our God has invited us to come to him and find rest.

Jon Wren works with the Office of Civil Rights, addressing the impact of gentrification on school desegregation. He loves history, college football, and once got a ticket for driving too slowly.