Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
This passage of scripture is one of my favorites. I have many favorites, but this one often finds its way into conversations I have with others about our walk with the Lord.
Two things stand out to me and fill me with hope and joy.
First, Jesus acknowledges that we often carry heavy burdens. In response, He offers us rest. I often find myself muttering, “I’m so tired.” Many of us live in a constant state of fatigue, and it is so encouraging to know that Jesus has invited us into a state of perfect rest. All we need to do is go to Him.
Second, Jesus offers to remove our burdens from our backs and replace them with His burden. At first, that may sound like a poor exchange. Where is the advantage in exchanging one burden for another?
We find the advantage in the reality that Jesus will teach us how to carry His burden and that the result of taking His burden as our own is the path to rest. We also learn that Jesus’ burden is easy and light, contrary to the one so many carry.
There is such great joy in knowing that I can get rid of a burden that does me no good while weighing me down so heavily. There is even more joy in knowing that I can pick up a burden that is easy to carry, comes with help, and leads to perfect rest.
Come to Jesus today!
