“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
Rest. What exactly does that mean?
Before I met my spouse, rest was the 4-6 hours of sleep I got most nights. The rest of my daily 24 hours were filled with work, church, school, or friends. I didn’t learn how to sit down until after marriage, when Sam would force me to stop and take a seat on the couch in the evenings and watch some tv with him.
I filled my every day with doing to try and keep the stress at bay. There was so much to do, so little time to do it. Every moment I could spare needed to be filled doing something useful so I wouldn’t feel like I was falling so far behind.
For years, this was my life. I ended up viewing the hour or two a night I spent “resting” with Sam as another task to complete. Ergo, not exactly restful. My body may have finally been still, but my heart and soul were still busy.
God finally gave me a hard stop. Somewhere the wires got crossed and my body broke down. The warning signs of chronic pain and chronic fatigue were something I ignored - willfully - until it was too late.
I was finally forced to listen last year, when I couldn’t get out of bed or even think straight anymore. I’m in the application process for permanent disability now, and I have no idea what the future holds.
So friend, please rest. Not just your body, but your heart, your spirit, and your mind as well. Trust God, stop trying to achieve everything on your own. Lean on your loved ones. Calm your soul.
- Charlene Roberson
