“The laundry can wait… but you still need to do it.”
Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” NIV
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” The Message
At Stetson, this verse kept me moving forward on so many days. In momlife, I feel like i need it more than ever. Jesus is offering us a new way of living for Him. It is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks, pressures, and to do lists. Becoming burnt out has become the norm. We work at things until there is no longer a flame within us. There is just a tiny ember desperate to hang on. We need a rest. We need to learn how Jesus does it. We need to be reminded to live lightly.
At this point in my journey, these words of Jesus address new lists, new pressures, and new expectations. I have two beautiful babes who haven’t let me have a full night’s rest since 2019. I have an amazing job where I get to help families every day, but there are growing pains there too. Our church family is its own cozy mess. My daily relationship with God is definitely hanging out in the shallow end of the faith pool.
Jesus is telling us to slow down and learn from Him, but all I want to do is speed up and race. I want to do more, learn more, and be more. This isn’t to say that I don’t practice self-care. I take walks in the woods. I eat pretty well. I take vitamins, and I enjoy a good bubble bath. We can physically do all the things to slow our pace, but then our self-care becomes part of the list as well.
“Are you tired?” YES
“Are you worn out?” YES
“Burned out on Religion?” There are a lot of ways to unpack this, but that is writing for another day… but YES
When does the list stop being a list? When does a ladies small group stop being something that adds to the exhaustion? When does the day start feeling like an adventure again instead of a checklist?
“Come to me. Get away with me…you’ll recover your life.”
“Work with me…Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
Something needs to change. We need a new rhythm and a new routine. We still need to be able to do all the things. The dishes, the baths, the walks, the laundry, and the girls’ nights are all important and need to happen. Right now, these tasks are forced and draining. Let’s learn the unforced rhythm. We need to get to work…with Jesus.
Have you ever had a job where you were able to work with some of your best friends? This was most jobs for me. Even the most annoying task could be a blast if you had your buddies around. It didn’t even feel like work. Were you a little late on getting that thing cleaned for the next group? Your friend jumped in and helped you out. Did you accidentally misplace a key? Your friend gave you grace.
Jesus can do same for us. He gives us grace when we can’t extend grace to ourselves. He can show us to work with him and learn a new rhythm that is full of peace. Do the list but do it with Jesus.
Okay, that all sounds mushy and great, but what does it look like in real life. Truthfully, I’m still figuring that out. I’m starting slow so that myself and my family can create new habits that are sustainable. We are going through our daily tasks, and figuring out how to make them easier, and more enjoyable. An easy change was putting the kids to bed to worship music instead of Disney. I am way less frustrated with bedtime now that it has become a short time of worship instead of a jam sesh with Elsa. Another change has been listening to music in the Kitchen. Some 90s and early 2000s pop music just makes my time with the dishes go faster. Now if someone could just teach us how to potty train with Jesus, we would be on a roll.
Go to work with Jesus, and then let him show you how to get away and take a real rest.
Peace and JOY.
