28 “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. 30 My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Wow! I cannot believe we have now entered into the month of July! Almost 4 months since we began our time of social distancing during this crazy season. During these almost 4 months, I was thinking and wondering about how everyone has been staying sane because, if you are like me, you will have experienced a wide range of emotions, sometimes all in the same day!
One of the scriptures I love is Mt.11:28-30. When I read it, I hear it as Jesus speaking in a very soothing and gentle voice, asking me to trust him with all that weighs me down and offers me a time of rest, a time of comfort and peace from all of the craziness that I might have to deal.
I know that we are all carrying many heavy things these days…things that weigh upon our mind and heart. Things like fear, worry, loneliness, frustration, anger, loss, grief, despair, things we can’t control, and exhaustion from all of it.
What else might you be carrying…?
When I am overwhelmed or burdened the only thing to do that brings me comfort is to have a chat with Jesus. Even as a young girl I would find myself in my room on my bed having a chat with the one I knew would get me through whatever the situation was. I invite Jesus to sit with me and I begin to talk to him as I would my best friend. I imagine him just sitting with me, right there next to me wherever that might be at the time. Not necessarily with my eyes closed as in prayer, but prayer just the same. I simply start talking to him and share all my worries and concerns, the things that are too great a burden for me to hold on to anymore. I visualize the words and feel their weight on me. As I’m doing this, I see Jesus holding his hands out, offering to take them, and I give them all to him. Then it seems as if he says “rest my child, they are no longer yours they belong to me now.”
I go about my day and at some point I realize that I’m not dwelling on the things that had burdened me earlier. I have received a sense of relief and comfort at the moment I give them over to him. Trusting his words that I do not have to carry it all, that he will take hold of what weighs me down, and I do my best not to take any of it back.
My hope for you in these crazy and restless times is that you too will sit and chat with Jesus, that you will allow him to take your concerns and burdens so that you may rest in his arms and find peace.
Thank you Jesus for holding all these heavy things for us today! Thank you, that you understand their weight and our worry. Thank you, that you will take them and allow us to be free from their weight and burden. Remind us that they no longer belong to us. Fill us with your peace and hope today and help us to remember you hold us in the palm of your hand. Amen.
Blessings, Brenda