“Come unto 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
I memorized this scripture when I was very young. Throughout the years not only has it strengthened me, but it has given me rest each and every time I went to the Lord with my burdens. Today was no different than any of those times.
When I woke up this morning I felt emotionally worn out, and after making my cup of coffee I sat down to read my Bible and found myself in Matthew 11. As I slowly read and meditated on the invitation from Jesus to come to Him and unload my burdens, that is exactly what I did. I begin sharing my thoughts with him in prayer that were weighing me down, and through the words I was reading, I literally felt in my heart Jesus asking me to take His yoke and learn from Him.
In agriculture a yoke was used as a means of governing an animal, and also linking two or more animals together for greater strength. In this instance, I feel the yoke of Jesus was being used as a powerful guide to link my thoughts and actions to His. My question now was, “what is it I am to learn from you Lord?”
As I pondered the past week in my mind, I analyzed which events had got me to this point of feeling emotionally weary. I think women sometimes feel a sense of responsibility to keep it all together for the people around them. Would you agree? Our lives are so full of responsibilities, and we each have our own long list. However, there are responsibilities and then there are things we decide to take on as our responsibilities that just aren’t.
Scripture says “we are to value others above ourselves, and keep others interests before our own,” but it doesn’t mean we are to neglect ourselves. In the book “The DNA of Relationships” written by Dr Gary Smalley, he dedicates a whole chapter to the subject. He conveys, “That good self-care is a Godly thing.” While Jesus’ one and only purpose for coming to this earth was to serve and sacrifice His life for people, he still cared for the physical and emotional needs his earthly body would have.
Dr Smalley goes on to say in the chapter he titled “Self-Care: Keep Your Battery Charged”, “Throughout the Gospels, we find that Jesus tended to his own needs. When he needed some alone time, he took it. He gratefully allowed supporters to meet his physical needs. He made it no secret when he felt hungry or thirsty. He did not allow others to control his agenda. He didn’t shrink from asking his friends to support him in a dark time of need. And he didn’t hesitate to remove himself from danger before his God-ordained appointment with a Roman cross. In short, Jesus practiced excellent self-care, yet he never allowed it to degenerate into selfishness.”
The second part of the greatest commandment is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” So what are some ways we show love to our neighbor? Some examples would be; by being considerate, showing kindness, and caring for their needs. Well if the scripture says “love your neighbor as yourself”, doesn’t that imply we are to do these things for ourselves too? Also, why would Jesus instruct us to go to Him for rest if He didn’t think we needed any? God wants us to be rested, filled, and refreshed so we can in turn pour into others. Remember, if we are constantly pouring into others and never being filled, we will soon be empty and have nothing left to offer or give.
If you are weary and burdened today, bring your burdens before the Lord and cast your cares on Him. I guarantee you will feel a load lift as you vent your feelings to Him. Ask Jesus to help you prioritize your responsibilities, so you are not taking on more than you should. And learn to treat yourself without condemnation from the enemy, who will try to make you feel guilty by falsely accusing you of selfishness. God is the maker of rest, and He gives good gifts to his children to enjoy. So let’s not disappoint Him, and enjoy His blessings.
After I scheduled this blog to post the next day, I felt like reading something inspirational. So I went to my book shelf and picked a book that I had never read before that a friend gave me called “My Jesus is Everything” a devotional written by Anne Graham Lotz. I randomly turned to any page. I thought it was quite ironic, I don’t believe in coincidence, but tell me what you think. Was this devotional chosen by coincidence or God ordained confirmation?
The devotion read;
“A careful study of the life of Jesus reveals that as pressed as He was, He ‘often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.’ If Jesus felt He needed time alone in prayer with His Father, why do you and I think we can get by without it?
Again and again, I have been amazed to discover that the verse of scripture or thought or insight that God seems to give me in my early morning quite time with Him is the very same verse or insight or thought I am called on to give to someone else during the day. Many times I have wondered how I would have been able to speak a “word that sustains the weary,” had I not first received it for myself in those brief, early morning retreats. Jesus offers us ample resources, but we have to receive them from Him in order to impart them to others.”
“Rest in the Lord O’ My Soul”
