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Are you struggling and in need of rest? As mothers, we spend our lives taking care of others. So how do we find refreshment and rest for our own bodies and our own souls?
In Matthew, Jesus said,
Matthew 11:29
New International Version (NIV)
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 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.”
I’ve been thinking about what that means during this season of recovering from surgery and walking through some difficult changes in my life. It’s caused me to stop and think about whether or not I’ve taken His yoke, or if I’m wearing a yoke of my own design. One thing’s for sure: when I wear a yoke of my choosing, it’s not a “easy” or “light.” It’s burdensome and heavy.
God wants His children to learn to conform to His heart for them. He wants to carry our burdens with us. More often than not, I’m discovering that whenever I struggle under the weight of a trial in my life it’s because I’ve been unwilling or unable to surrender to the season of life that the Lord has me in.
In the verse above, we can see that Jesus extends an invitation to rest—and He gives three things we must do in order to find that rest from burdens we carry:
- Come to Me: God wants us to come to Him first, before we do anything. Before we take on a project or say “yes” to another weekly activity. He wants us to come to Him.
- Take My Yoke: Don’t take God’s good idea for someone else’s family on yourself. Jesus taught us that that His yoke is designed just.for.you; for your soul alone.
- Learn from Me: I think Jesus’ gentle reminder here was intended to keep us from relying on the teachings men rather than getting into God’s Word and seeking after Him personally. As we have seen over and over, people fail. But God doesn’t. His heart is that we would seek Him first.
So why do we still struggle, even after we’ve come to Christ? Here’s the key: Jesus said in John 15:4,
“Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.”
It’s the abiding that gets us most of the time, isn’t it? Surrendering and laying down our will for His is something we must do. It’s an act of the will. When we choose to remain in Him, we find rest. Rest is found in remaining in Christ when things get tough. This doesn’t mean thing will be easy—but I’m here to bear witness to God’s unfailing mercy and the peace He gives that really does “pass all understanding.”
If you’re struggling to find a way to surrender to the Lord today, remember that He’s waiting for you. The God of the Universe is waiting—just for you. We are loved by our Creator!
Surrender is a daily thing. Ask the Lord to help you abide in Him today, busy mom. Ask Him to help you learn what surrender looks like. He wants to carry your burden with you.
Stay surrendered and find rest,
Listen to today’s devotional here:
Order Heidi’s book on time management surrendering your days here
No, unfortunately sleep is elusive for me, even tried “meds”.
You’re speaking to my heart this morning Heidi!!! Yes! My 1 yr old who still wakes 2-4 times a night had not adjusted to the time change so she has been up at 6am! I am so exhausted! I just want to close my eyes…..!
Sometimes I wish that I could have 36 hr days. Not everyone just me. So time could stand still and I could get stuff done and sleep.
Good morning from Australia, Heidi (it’s 3.48am here)
Why am I up so early? Oh, you know – my little one had a sniffle, jumped into bed with us, and proceeded to take over the whole bed….and who fell out? Mama did, lol!!
So I figured since I was up and all, I’d pay some bills, check emails and have quiet time with God.
The word you share today, is perfect for me right now. This year for me, particularly, has been one where the Lord has been teaching me to go to Him in EVERYTHING, rely on Him for EVERYTHING and to surrender my ALL to Him. It’s been amazing, and continues to be. Some times it has been painful or difficult. And there has been the odd times where I’ve had to learn to be completely vulnerable and right out of my comfort zone (aka not allowed to be a control freak lol)Those have been the hardest.
But, I love Him and want to learn, and be changed, no matter what. I love the way He speaks to me through everything. His Word, prayer, blogs (like yours), books, people, events, His creation, emotions….is there anywhere that He is not?
Thank you Heidi, for your heart, for your time to share, for your blog and for being real. I pray your recovery continues well.
Blessings,
Lil xx
Thank you Heidi, my heart needed this more today than I could say.
Thanks Heidi, this is Juliana from Kenya.
Your post has hit right home.
I needed to be reminded that God is in control and He has the best in store for me.
No matter how much I try ‘self efforting’…It doesn’t work without letting God take control of the wheel of my life
This article brought tears to my eyes because of the weight of my burdens. I completely forgot about this verse and Him carrying the yoke/burdens. Thank you for the reminder!!
Love this, Heidi. More than that, I needed to hear it! “Being left on the side of the road for dead” made me laugh. Sometimes I feel that way! I’m so glad God loves me and is ready and willing to fill me up as I abide in Him.
I am SO struggling to surrender something right now, because I think I won’t like it. 🙂 How can I be my age, and still want to act like a young child who will NOT give up my idea?? Oh, Lord, please give me the courage to surrender to You!!