Help for the Frazzled, Weary, and Burdened
By Dawn Tolbert
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Today my to-do list felt overwhelming. Between work, a committee meeting, a ministry planning session, and the fever my husband had for days, I wanted to crawl in a hole and hide. I had read my Bible and prayed but was soon rushing to get an early start on the busyness, wondering how I could get it all done.
I was just a few miles from home when the words of Matthew 11:28 came to mind. I took a deep breath as I slowed for a traffic light and exhaled a prayer: “Jesus, I come to you. Please give me rest.”
The rest Jesus offered in Matthew 11:28 is ours for the taking. We need only trust Him, and He will give us peace that’s so much more than just relief from our overburdened, overcommitted schedules.
Can you picture a woman with load after load piled on top of her? She feels the weight of her to-do list, but also the things others expect from her along with her own worries, guilt, and even shame.
Maybe you’ve been that person. Maybe you feel that way now.
Jesus doesn’t simply offer an answer; He is the answer.
He promises to take our burdens—our struggles under weights we weren’t meant to carry—and replaces them with ease. Our schedules aren’t immediately cleared, and tasks will remain, but we can face them with His strength and not our own.
Thank you, Jesus, for offering rest for our weary souls. Today please help us not rush back into our stress-filled ways, but to dwell in Your perfect peace.
Dawn Tolbert is a contributor to Wholly Loved Ministries Daily Devotional, a Christ-follower who writes to honor God, thank Him for His goodness, and encourage readers by sharing her faith journey. She works in higher education public relations and is writing her first novel and her first book-length Bible study. She has earned a B.A. in Communication Studies and English (Gardner-Webb College), a M.A. in Professional Writing (Kennesaw State University), and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership (Union University). She and her husband, Larry, live in Cedartown, Georgia, and serve actively in their church. Dawn blogs at dawntolbert.com.
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Originally published Monday, 01 April 2024.