Exhausted. Drained. Burned out. Worn out. WEARY. That’s what I’ve been feeling lately. And when I look at the women closest around me, it’s what I see from them too. So many of my women friends are feeling this way. They’re facing challenges in their families, in their work, in their school, in their everyday lives of various kinds. Mental challenges. Emotional challenges. Physical challenges. Spiritual challenges.
I’ve noticed that women seem to approach these challenges in multiple ways, but two specifically come to mind. We either A) Downplay our own struggles that we’re facing and try to brush them aside because we see what others are going through and consider it to be much worse. Or we B) Elevate our own struggles that we’re facing and feel that our struggles are much worse than those around us. One has an attitude of depression, the other of arrogance and anxiety. Maybe we do both at times. We compare our struggles to those around us and see how ours measure up: “Am I about the same? Worse off? Or not as bad?”. When really, all of us are facing difficulties and we’re all hurting and broken inside at one point.
I know I catch myself doing this. I think about the struggles some of my friends and family are facing and think that it could be way worse. And it could. There’s always something to be thankful for and I try to remain grateful. But sometimes, life is just hard. And while I don’t think it’s okay to just sit around feeling sorry for yourself, Jesus reminded me of something important this morning. He never dismisses our pain, our struggles, or the challenges we’re going through.
Think about it. Have you ever read a story in the Gospels where Jesus rebuked someone for struggling? Do you ever find him yelling, “Come on! Toughen up! Get over it!”. If you do, message me and we’ll talk, but so far in my studies that’s not what I’ve found. I’ve never seen Him dismiss someone’s pain. Instead, what I have found is kindness, gentleness, grace. He loves, and He offers us a solution to the weariness. He offers us Himself.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My toke 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 burned is light.” – Matthew 11: 28 – 30 NASB
When we look up this word “weary”, the Greek word is “kopiaō”. It means “toil; labor” or “to be tired, to be weary; lose heart”. How many of you feel this way today? How many of you are tired? Weary? Losing heart?
I know Jesus meant this passage for everyone, but as women I think this should bring us relief more than anyone. We carry lots of burdens; we carry heavy loads. As wives, mothers, aunts, sisters, and just as women in general, we’re constantly thinking about and trying to accomplish many things. We’re working, we have jobs inside and outside of the home. We cook, we clean, we budget and pay bills, we buy food and clothing, we’re care-givers – we do A LOT! And if you’re like me, you’re constantly trying to get a jump start on “the next thing”, whether it’s your next day’s chores, the next week’s meals, or even your next lesson plan. I’ll say this again – it’s A LOT! And sometimes we get tired, we grow weary, and we lose heart. Because life isn’t perfect and wrenches get thrown into “our plans”.
What I’m finding is this: life will never be perfect, at least not here on earth. There will always be mess. There will always be chaos. Things will very rarely go “according to plan”. We’ll be tired a lot. Some seasons will be harder than others. But in the middle of alllllll of this, in the middle of the storms of life, Jesus offers us REST. And it’s rest that can only be found in Him. He meets us exactly where we are in life and tells us to take His yoke upon ourselves, because His yoke and His burden, are easy and light. In it, He offers us rest for our souls.
I read this passage 3 years ago and made this note: “God’s yoke becomes easy as we realize our lives are about HIM and not us.” Isn’t that true? I know I struggle the most in life when my eyes are on myself and my plan instead of on Him and His plan. It’s so much easier for me to take up His yoke when I realize that this life I live on earth is supposed to be all about Him anyway.
So today, I’m offering myself a challenge and I challenge you – whoever is reading this – to it as well. Take. Up. His. Yoke. Lay down your burdens. Your struggles. Whatever is making you weary. Lay them down. Go lock yourself in your bathroom or a closet for 10 minutes and have a few minutes of quiet where you can just be alone with your Savior. Release your burdens to Him. Lay them down girl. And in place of that, put on His yoke. It’s so light. It’s easy. It’s peaceful. It’s restful. It’s the solution to our weariness. And when you’ve done that, walk out of that bathroom, closet, wherever you are like the beautiful, warrior bride of Christ that you are! Life is just too short for anything else ladies. It can be over in an instant. Let’s live every day wearing His yoke for His glory and His purpose.
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