"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
Rest. The very second after I typed it, I had to bolt up out of my desk chair and run to help my 3 and 1/2 year old boy with a potty emergency, one of about 300 he's had over the past few days. Constant running...up and down...start and stop...emotionally draining...physically exhausting...soul depleting...work.
I'm tired. That's all there is to it. I find that being tired is a never-ending theme of my life (ask anyone I'm close to and they'll verify I'm sure). It has been since I was a teenager (even though, I will say, that becoming a mommy has raised my tiredness levels exponentially!). No matter where I turn, what vitamin regimen I begin, what change in job I attempt, what bedtime routine I try out with the kids, I can't find that promised rest that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 11. Every time it seems like I'm sort of "caught up," it's time to get geared up and start all over again. It's elusive, like the finish line to a never-ending race. I know it's out there somewhere but I feel like I'll never be able to get to it.
I have longed for heaven, our ultimate rest. I have thought that if I can just make it there, persevere, fight the good fight, I can put up with being tired while here on earth since I have hope of rest to come. I still have that hope but I have found that it's not enough. Eventually I gave up and checked out. The wait was too long, the going too tough, the fight too hard.
Then He came.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden...You will find rest for your souls." Is Jesus talking about rest from physical labor? I don't think so. Because He doesn't say, "You will find rest for your bodies." He's talking about soul work--that endless hunt for rest; the quest for quiet.
It's not a profound discovery except that it was profound to me. Something finally clicked. Was Paul physically rested? Obviously not. Did he have peace in his soul? Obviously yes. There is a rest to be found HERE and NOW, in this moment, that has nothing to do with physical rest (though I do believe soul-rest trickles down to our physical bodies). It is the person of Jesus. Knowing Him gives my soul the rest is so desperately desires.
His gentle, lowly spirit is imparted to me when I come to Him for rest. His attitude about life makes life EASIER. His single-minded motivation transforms my heaviness into a LIGHT load.
Yes, Jesus came to save my soul and give me hope of eternal rest in heaven. But He came for more than that...for light, easy, joyful, abundant life NOW!
The rubber meets the road when I allow the lies that Satan throws out there to infiltrate my moment-to-moment choices. It's a fight to cling to the truth at times, but the fight IS the light load...the alternative choice (giving in to the lie) is the impossible road...the broad path...the way to destruction. It may FEEL easier at the moment, but in the end the lie is always, without fail, every time the heavy, most difficult way.
So I will fight to remember in the up and down, stop and go, crazy everyday life that I lead:
Jesus's way is EASY, not hard.
Jesus's burden is LIGHT, not heavy.
Jesus offers my soul rest despite my physical circumstances.
Jesus's yoke (his teachings) are the way to rest. If they start to feel heavy, then I'm doing something wrong.
"He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul." Ps. 23:2-3
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