“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NLT)
It is a conundrum for many to believe how a true follower of Jesus can have rest but may also be going through difficult situations. Heavy burdens are a usual occurrence for many people living in this fast-paced, highly stressful world. People will wake up not wanting to go to work. Living has become dreadful. People worry about so many things when Jesus is just waiting to give rest.
Its no wonder that the number one killer disease in the world are heart problems. Stress, pressure, worries, anxiety, these all work out against the soul of the individual. Add on to it the sin that one may commit and our “baggage” becomes heavier.
For someone who frequently undergoes severe stress in the workplace, I have tried to “discover” how to really experience Jesus’ rest as offered in Matthew 11:28. Definitely, we are all weary in this world. How do you cast your burdens upon Him?
We all have the tendency to be so independent that we cannot readily hand over our problems and challenges. We always want to get a go at it. We cannot honestly acknowledge that we need help. That we cannot do it alone.
And that, my friend, is where the problem starts. PRIDE.
There is a good kind of pride mind you. The apostle Paul takes pride in his ministry (Romans 11:13) The wrong kind of pride is like a mill stone tied to one’s neck, that high opinion of oneself. As it causes downfall to those who trusts in their pride.
So how is pride and resting related in this post? There is a lot actually. One reason why man is so tired and weary is because of pride. One can be so proud by not admitting that he cannot meet the expectation of his peers. Another reason is that pride prohibits us from being honest about workloads, schedules and deadlines. This contributes to a high stress level.
Not admitting that you need help is pride. Admitting that there are things that you cannot control is the starting point of resting. Knowing that you can only do so much will give you a lot of release from all your worries. Asking God to be the one to take control of your circumstances and actually giving way to His Spirit is one major sign that you are entering your rest. It will be difficult at first but when you know what is important, it will be easy.
