“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.” Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus knows the depths of our weariness and the burdens we are carrying as moms. He knows the state of our hearts, the amount of sleep debt we have been accumulating, the size of the latest pile of laundry, and the difficulties of discipling our children. And He offers us rest - but first, we must come to Him.
We must come to Him sin-stained and broken, snot on our shirts and bags under our eyes. We must come to Him despite the hustle and chaos, the noise that never seems to end. We must come to Him in the middle of the night or whenever our schedule allows - even if we have only moments (or seconds) to meet with Him.
In Psalm 91, the psalmist writes, "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1). When we dwell in Jesus - making Him our hiding place and refuge instead of running to distractions or indulgences - He will give us the rest that we so desperately need.
This rest may not be what we imagine or hope for - it might not include a "quiet time" or a lack of interruption. It might not involve a full night of sleep, at least for a season. Jesus gives us rest in the midst of motherhood, in the messiness and mundane. He gives us rest in our reality. We always have a choice and an opportunity to come to Jesus - to abide, to reside, to dwell, and to remain in Him - no matter what is going on around us.
We can come to Jesus in the quietness of our hearts, acknowledging His presence despite a toddler's tantrum. We can commune with Him in prayer as we wash and fold and wipe. We can invite Him into every task, not rushing or wishing our days away but doing all things unto Him.
He alone can grant true rest - the One who calms storms and multiplies and supplies and upholds us in the palm of His hand. The One who has numbered the hairs on our heads and ordains our days knows our needs in each season of our lives and how to fulfill them.
Jesus is waiting for you to come - He sits in the living room of your heart ready for you to join Him. Will you choose to dwell in Jesus today in spite of the distractions and duties that surround you?
May we forsake all other medicines and means of "resting" for the true rest offered in Jesus - the One whose yoke is easy and burden is light. As we come to Him again and again, He will refresh, restore, and revive us, giving us what we need for each day.
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