It’s one of those moments so deeply seared onto my heart that I still glance at the memories and wince. I was in a Jamaican infirmary, tasked with offering some measure of comfort to the sick and dying housed there. Their beds were jammed together, packing every room. Many patients wailed incessantly. My comfort-craving brain wanted to find the escape hatch, to look somewhere other than at the faces of these people I could do so little for. Maybe that’s why my eyes kept drifting out the windows at the sugary white sand and emerald-blue Caribbean waters that sparkled just beyond the compound’s walls.
The juxtaposition of human sorrow and breathtaking beauty sticks with me still. In His life, Jesus was on the shore and in the suffering at the same time. We find a moment just as jarring in Matthew 11.
John the Baptist was imprisoned for his faith, sitting on death row. In the middle of that hardship, Jesus was using John’s predicament as an example of true discipleship when He delivered these comforting words.
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly 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. Our bleary eyes and exhausted souls crave it, don’t they? And yet, John would remain in prison until his gruesome death. Humanly speaking, John’s yoke was not easy. His burden was not light. So what did Jesus mean?
I imagine John must have looked around his prison cell and felt tired from the weight of it all. He sent messengers to make sure Jesus had something better to offer (vv.1–3). Our weary hearts often wonder the same thing, don’t they?
Jesus responds like this: “Go and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news” (vv.4–5).
When this world leaves me weary, I want to take a nap. But Jesus wants to show me how He works in the middle of what is weary. If the kind of burden Christ offers doesn’t look like I think it will, He must be promising so much more.
Rest from pain, suffering, and worry is certainly something we can all readily give our “Amen!” to. But then here comes that juxtaposition again—that same tension—when Jesus adds, “And blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me” (v.6).
If a good night’s sleep and an easy life was all Jesus had to give John, it would not have been enough to keep him chained to Christ. Instead, John would die for his faith—not just for a handful of miracles that had already happened, but for a tsunami of healing that he believed was to come. Somewhere along the way, John must’ve resolved that the rest he needed most was not simply relief from his circumstance.
We are all broken by sin, longing for a cure. Jesus walks among us, removing the yoke of sin that bends our backs and breaks our hearts. Suffering and sleeplessness may remain temporarily, but the burden of sin is no longer ours to carry. Jesus took that burden so we could know the kind of rest that seeps past our bones and into our weary souls.
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Praying for you Aimee as you seek answers to your malady ( “dis-ease”), that you remain calm & confident. Praying for your medical team, that they be guided by competence & compassion. Our bodies are such beautifully complex machinery. Be comforted by a Christ who knows us fully, and never fails. His faithfulness is forever.
Good Evening Shes. A Good Evening indeed. And anticipating a Good Morning. Been silent lately, not joining the community conversation. Not dropping by in the throes of insomnia. BECAUSE I’m experiencing the semblance of a sensible sleep schedule! Whether the doctor prescribed Doxepin. Or the Mixhers “her nightly” sleep support drink mix (Thanks sister She for recommending!). This combo, this regimen is however still new. But I am hearten & hopeful. As said in the devotional today: “Suffering and sleeplessness may remain temporarily, but the burden of sin is no longer ours to carry. Jesus took that burden so we could know the kind of rest that seeps past our bones and into our weary souls.” Lord, I claim that care & comfort. That forgiveness for my fears & failures. That prayer for peace. That comes through persistent praise. Knowing that You, that we, got this! Amen & Amen
I was diagnosed with vestibular migraines on 4/1/22. I had really hoped it was an April Fools joke. There is no cure. I feel like I am on a boat almost all of the time. It also causes disassociatism…where I feel like I am on the outside of my body looking in. It’s hard to explain. The ENT who diagnosed me and is supposed to be an expert in vestibular disorders said he has done all he can do for me. He sent me back to neurology. I go back to Duke tomorrow…this appointment was made in November. I follow the diet, I try to reduce stress. I have had no relief for over 3 years. (It took over a year for a diagnosis). I hope they can give me some hope. I cannot function like this. I have trouble concentrating, can’t remember dates or names..all part of VM. Plus I am exhausted all the time. Don’t mean to complain, I just need some prayers.
Have you gone to physical therapy? My son, a PT, works with patients with vestibular issues.
Praying for you Aimee.
MICHELLE PATIRE… I have put the FB app back on my iPad and only check two pages… SRT She’s and one to keep me updated on someone’s cancer fight. I don’t go to my main feed at all. (I left Facebook and Instagram a couple years ago, and now am really out of the habit of going in there at all. I only go to Facebook on Sunday afternoons, usually, and even FORGOT this week!)And I have put the app right next to my SRT widget that is not on the page that I see upon turning on my iPad. I should probably move SRT to the front, but I have some basic stuff on that page that I need to access more regularly.
I have heard that some people don’t even have the app on their phone, so that forces them to be “intentional” about turning on the computer. (The app makes it too easy.)
Prayers for you and stay connected with your sisters here.
Much love! ❤️
So weary of hearing the nasty things said about others. Matthew 11:18-19 May we look for the good in all people.
So weary that entire cities/groups of people are judged as one. Verses 20-24 May we see each and everyone.
So weary that things are hidden from the wise but revealed to little children. Verse 25. May we not be so set in our own wisdom that we fail to be open to what God reveals.
So weary that ‘no one knows’ except those to whom the Son chooses. Verse 27. May He choose to lead us with grace and mercy.
So weary that I need to come and receive rest, even if that means taking up the cross or the yoke. May we have the faith needed to learn to be in step with you.