Rest

What makes you tired? Work; children; worrying about things; all of the bad things happening in the world? I know that I am tired these days! My friends and family are tired, stressed and simply worn out.

We cannot change the war going on. We cannot change the last 2 years of Covid restrictions. We cannot change the boy’s heart who broke my daughter’s heart or the work deadline looming. Maybe you are tired from the mundane. We get up, go to work, come home and do chores. We do this over and over again. My husband calls this Groundhog Day! How can we find rest in a world in such chaos?

What kind of rest do you need? Rest from inner doubts and fears that rob you of rest? Physical rest for a body so tired and broken. Rest from the boring and mundane?

Matthew 11:28-30 says “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.””

Jesus talks about a yoke. In life we are all yoked to something; we do not live in a bubble. What or who can people be yoked to? People are yoked to their work; their family; their past; their responsibilities.

“Each of us carries a yoke. The yoke of responsibility can be very heavy for us to carry. We are responsible to provide for our family, to do a good job at work, to please our parents. Or maybe we carry the yoke of our past—the things that were done to us, the things we did, the things we can’t take back. We all carry some kind of a yoke, but no one can carry a yoke alone. Two oxen wear a yoke and pull the plow. If there were only one animal, the yoke would be unbalanced. The plow could not till the ground. Jesus wants us to put our neck in His yoke and He wants to walk through life with us.” He will teach us how to “plow through” the challenges of our day.

You may want to take a deep breath and not feel guilty for taking a break. You may hope all of this work and toil will end. “We could come to this passage and dismiss what is says because we know that Christians still have to work and still have busy lives. What Jesus is offering in these verses isn’t a removal of the work in your life. Instead, He offers us companionship as we live our lives, do our jobs and struggle with the burdens we carry. When we choose to share life with Jesus, the work we face is easier, the burden we carry is lighter and the yoke is not as hard. Why? Because Jesus offers us grace, mercy and peace where the world tries to take these things from us. He truly gives us rest, real rest, meaningful rest. Come to Him, you will find rest for your souls.”