God, I'm Weary

“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.” ~Matthew 11:28-30

You, yes you. The days are long, the sky is cloudy and dreary, the winter doesn’t seem to end. Your to-do list is high. There always seems to be more. There always seems to be things you mean to do, but never get to it. You’ve disappointed other people. Other people have disappointed you. Maybe you’ve even disappointed yourself…. You ask yourself, “What am I doing?” “Why?” “Is there a purpose?” You feel stuck. You’re not good enough.

Can I remind you? You are enough.

You are worth it. Not because some chocolate ad tells you that you “deserve” to buy their product (Yes, chocolate company, we know we can give you our money.) (Although if you need some Dove chocolate on a dreary day… seriously go get some. You have my blessing.) You are worth it, because Jesus says you are. He not only says it, but He showed it by suffering and dying on the cross for you. He loves you more than you will ever know.

Can you imagine if you truly knew deep down in your heart and soul that Jesus loves you?

You wouldn’t care what people think, unless it matched what Jesus thinks of you. When you fail, it wouldn’t keep you down. When you see other people around you excelling or failing, you wouldn’t compare yourself. When you are stuck in the mundane of every day, you have a steady joy in your heart. When it seems that everything around you is falling apart, your hope and trust would hold in the solid rock of Jesus.

We don't always feel the overwhelming love of Jesus. Actually, I don't think we will fully know His love until we are in heaven with Him, but there are ways to know His love deeper now. If you find yourself running on low, turn to the One who can truly fill you up.

Spend time with Him

Spend time with Him in a way that fills your heart and soul.

Go for a walk with Him or sit with Him.
Sing along in the car with/to Him.
Listen for Him in the stillness or in others around you.
Talk with Him, listen to Him.
Ask Jesus to search your heart and mind for anything that is amiss and not in line with what He wants for you. If there is, then repent. Do not beat yourself up for it anymore. Once you are forgiven, you are free!
Ask Him to show you what makes Him proud of you.
Look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself, “I am God’s. He made me just the way I am. He loves me the way I am. He loves me.”
Be with Him.

Abide.

I love that word. Jesus tells us to abide in Him.

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." ~ John 15:4

Be. Just be. Be in Christ. Just be. There’s a song that I heard on a Christian radio station called “Breathe" by Jonny Diaz. The chorus is written like Jesus is speaking to us:

"Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at My feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe"

At first it really bothered me, because I love being busy and running around and getting things done, but there are times when God is truly just calling us to be. Just be. Fill up and be refreshed. It’s not all up to you. God doesn’t need you; He wants you. He wants you to abide in Him, because that is the only way that you can live the way He is asking you to live. Life is so hard, and we get so weary. Come to Him, and He will give you rest. 

Be refreshed

Be refreshed in Him to face another day and another week. He is holding out His hand and waiting for you to take it. He wants to fill you up to be who He made you to be and do what He has called you to do.

Live on, brothers and sisters in Christ! Fight the good fight!

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ~ Mark 1:35

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. ~Mark 6:31-32

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ~2 Corinthians 12:9