“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying
heavy burdens, 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.”
– Matthew 11:28-30

“You can’t get tired!” The preacher’s words unleashed waves of panic within me. Many need to be urged on to good works, but I was addicted to them. As full-time solo pastor, wife, and mother to three needy adopted children, I was so exhausted I could barely hold my head up.

Years later I again pondered these verses while on retreat. No longer addicted to good deeds, I was still weary from adolescents with countless and complex problems, from divorce, from trying to hold the family together and pay the bills, from church conflict – weary from life.

I realized that if my yoke felt too heavy and my burden too great, the demands heaped upon my overflowing plate could not all be from God. For whatever reason – to be needed, to be seen as good, to prove my value – if my plate was too full, chances were I had done the heaping.

I was learning about spiritual discernment – the quiet listening to the whisperings of the Spirit and my own authentic heart – which helps distinguish between those callings and tasks that are truly mine and those that arise from some disordered part of myself. Jesus’ gentleness is not only for others, but also for me. Jesus’ rest is not only for others, but also for me. When I center in Jesus, I will know which tasks to pursue and which to release. I can learn from Jesus, who recognized he was not called to answer every need, and let go of the rest.

The needs of parents, children, spouses or significant others, our church communities, our employers or employees can overwhelm us. Without discernment, we dissipate our energy and ourselves, dilute our effectiveness, become burned out, angry, resentful, and bitter. Jesus responds, “Come. I will give you rest. Learn from me and carry only what is truly yours to bear.”

Jesus, give us courage to let go of some of the many demands upon us so that we can hear with clarity your whisperings and the wisdom of our hearts to be free to live and grow and serve with joy. Amen.

From Women at the Well: Meditations for Quenching Our Thirst, Volume 2 edited by Linda-Marie Delloff and Bernadette Glover-Williams (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, [2003]), [pages 16, 147, and 174]. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. 1-800-4-JUDSON. www.judsonpress.com