Almost everyone I talk to right now is exhausted. Not just physically but also emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Our exhaustion comes from a lot of places:

• Maybe you found yourself as a parent pulling your hair out as you try to navigate online school or hybrid learning. 
• Juggling work, to-do lists, errands. 
• Most of us rush from one meeting to the next. One thing to the next. 
• Maybe you are retired or find yourself with more time than you used to have, but you find yourself mentally exhausted, and you don’t know why. 
• Or maybe in your job, you have never been busier. Never been more exhausted.

All of this causes us to miss things in life. We miss out on opportunities because we are too tired, frazzled, and busy. We miss out on moments in relationships because of our pace. 

Our health suffers. As we sleep less, we spend more time on technology. We have become unhealthier and lonelier. We grab sleeping pills or alcohol, anything to help us fall asleep or numb ourselves. 

Our relationship with God suffers as we take less time to talk to him or listen to him. 

But often, instead of slowing down, we add more things to the list. We double down on working harder, pushing harder when we really need to slow down and rest.

In Matthew 11, Jesus gives us one of the most amazing invitations, to come to him and rest. He says:

“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.”

Jesus says so much here that I don’t want us to miss: 

Come to me. Jesus invites us to come. Many of us have this idea that God doesn’t want us, but Jesus tells us that isn’t true. He invites us. Relating to God, spiritual practices begin with the belief, the knowledge that God wants to be with us. To know us, for us to know Him. To experience life and rest in Jesus, we must believe that God wants us to come to him and that God wants to restore our lives. 

Again, who does he invite? 

All you who are weary and burdened. How do you know if that’s you? How do you know if you need to come to Jesus for rest? Often, we think we aren’t that tired, or if we can push through this next week or month. But we are usually kidding ourselves with that. Too often, instead of finding rest, we try to survive life with sugar or caffeine throughout the day, a donut to get us going in the morning, 5-hour energy to get us through the afternoon, pushing harder and harder, working late into the night and then when our brains are wired, taking a sleeping pill to fall asleep. 

About this passage, Dane Ortlund said, “You don’t need to unburden or collect yourself and then come to Jesus. Your very burden is what qualifies you to come.“

What an amazing truth. Your burden, your weariness, your exhaustion is what qualifies you to come to Jesus.

Jesus says, “I will give you rest.” Rest is a gift from God. It is from his generosity when we come to him.  This is more than a nap or a long night’s sleep. This is soul rest. 

You are at rest…

• When you know, you are loved by God and no longer strive to be loved. 
• You are at rest…when you no longer work too hard to prove yourself worthwhile to others. 
• You are at rest…when you no longer try to control everything. 
• You are at rest…when you stop worrying and let go of your worries and anxieties to God.

Jesus says, “walk with me, take my yoke and learn from me.” We learn from Jesus as we walk with him. Side by side. In the ancient world, farmers would put two animals in a yoke. One animal was strong, and one was weaker. The weaker animal was often younger or less mature. 

So Jesus invites us to take his yoke, not only cause he is stronger than we are, but so we can learn from him. We can walk with him, to apprentice to Jesus, to become more like him as we work and walk with him. Jesus says, “I am stronger than you. Come, and I will do the heavy lifting.” As we practice rest, slowing down, we become more like Jesus. We walk with Jesus. 

What a gift. 

Then, Jesus tells us what we experience in this: I am gentle and humble in heart. 

We run and run, often from God, but from others and ourselves because of fear. Jesus says we can come to him because he is gentle. Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. 

This is who God is. This is the God we rest with. Rest in. One of my kids is a snuggle, and I love when he gets close. I often imagine this is what Jesus is saying here. I am gentle; I will give you comfort. 

You will find rest. What do we find? Rest. 

A soul rest. 

A peace. 

Contentment. A deep trusting calm. 

And lifting when we trust God instead of trusting ourselves.

My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. This verse is the only time the word easy is used in the bible. 

Jesus invites us to get as close as possible, to walk with him. When we are really linked with him, that’s where rest happens, where life is abundant and full. Often, when we think of God, we think of him as giving us burdens, but he doesn’t. 

In fact, if you and I are carrying burdens, they aren’t from God but things we are to give to God. Anything that is keeping you from rest gives to God. Anything that keeps you from being present with God, others, or yourself, give it to God. Anything that weighs you down keeps you up at night; give it to God. 

This is why Peter invites us to Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

What is the yoke you are carrying that you need to lay down and let Jesus take?

God wants to walk with us. God wants us to experience rest and life. God wants to take our burdens so that we can live free and light.