Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Do you ever find those days where you wake up feeling more tired than you did the day before? I get it. I've been there. There are some days where it just feels like I'm carrying so much, trying to juggle it all and balance everything in life, that I'm honestly just kind of waiting for something to give.
If you're feeling weary or tired or helpless right now, our Verse of the Day has some encouraging words for you.
It comes from Matthew chapter 11, verse 28. "Then Jesus said, 'Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.'"
A Very Busy Season
Years ago, when I first got married, my wife and I were in a very, very busy season of life. We were two young kids trying to make life work. I worked a full-time job. She worked a full-time job. I had school on top of that. I was working a part-time job, and for whatever reason, every time we had two cars, one of them would always break.
We were working with one car. For a long time, we would wake up in the morning and we'd get ready for the day. I would drive her one city north and drop her off at her job, and I would drive back down to my job. In the afternoon, I would drive back up, I would pick her up from her job, I'd drive back home, drop her off, and then I would go back to work and finish out my day there.
After that, I would run home, maybe grab a bite to eat, say hi, and then I would run to my second job, which usually ended somewhere around midnight. We loved all of this. On top of that, we were also leading the youth group. That meant we had midweek services. We were leading Sunday morning small groups, events on weekends, and I was just trying to make sure that everything got done. I don't say this to brag, like, look at all the things that we had. I say it so that you'll believe me when I say we were tired. I really mean we were tired.
Doing, Doing, Doing
So much of this season of life was just about doing, doing, doing. I thought that the solution was to just push through it, because I was looking at everything that we had, and they were all really good things. I was working for the church. My wife was a preschool teacher at a Christian school. I was overseeing the facilities and maintenance for the preschool that the church owned.
All of these things were great. I thought, man, this is a wonderful, wonderful opportunity. I must just be the problem. I just need to find this energy somewhere.
Jesus Wants to Give Us True Rest
The reality is, when Jesus calls us to something, He doesn't call us into it so that we burn out. He doesn't want us to find these burdens to be overbearing. He doesn't want us to live every day weary, just waiting for something to drop. Jesus wants to give us true rest. That's what I needed to remember in that season, and that's what I want to remind you of now.
Make Room to Slow Down
If you find yourself just running around here and there, it's okay to pause and slow down. You don't have to solve the world's problems. Just be faithful.
Beyond that, make sure that you are spending time with Jesus. Make sure that you're coming to Him in prayer, sharing your entire heart with Him. Make sure that you find that margin to sit down with His Word and be reminded of His faithfulness and the beauty of His promises. Make sure you have opportunities to connect with other people that can pour into you, that can love you and serve you, that will worship with you, that can pray for you.
Jesus calls you to these incredible opportunities, but it's never at the expense of your soul. For all the different things in life, whatever we do in word or deed, as Paul says, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to the Father through Him. Part of that gratitude means saying, Lord, thank You for being the source of my power.
All of us need to be coming before Jesus regularly so that we can find rest for our souls.
