“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
God invites us to live a life from a restful soul. God deeply desires rest for us and wants us to be unburdened and in a light place. He understands when we are weary and feels the intensity of a labourious lifestyle. Thus, he says, “Come to me…”
While the world around us, especially most workplaces, do not want us to be found tired (as it affects the productivity and quality of work), they would ask you to take a leave and rest. They want you to rest so that you can work more and work better.
That’s different than what God is inviting us to. God is interested in you first. While people are often interested in what we do and how we do or how much we are beneficial to them, God is interested in us, our inner condition, and the state of our soul. God doesn’t want us to rest to work better; instead, he invites us to live from a restful place. Everything we do and who we are should flow from a place of rest.
The more burdened and wearier we are, the more our soul becomes agitated and our life rattled. Often, we operate from this place, negatively affecting our relationship, parenting, and outlook towards life. God knows there is a better way to live life and do life. He has made us and knows what works best for us. If you find yourself weary, God wants you to come to him and exchange his easy and light yoke for our burden. As we see him, remain in him, and learn from him, his gentleness and humility become part of who we are. There we find rest for our soul. We start to live again.
Questions to ponder:
What are the burdens that you are carrying these days?
What is causing the weariness of your soul?
Can you describe the state of your soul?
Prayer: God, help me to come to you. May we take your yoke upon us and learn from you. May we find rest for our souls in you. Thank you Jesus for hearing our prayers.