Sunlight pours through the cracks in the curtain, steeping my room in a warm but unwelcome glow.
I squint at my clock. Morning, already?
My head sinks back onto the pillow, and I quietly hope time rolls back so I can get a few more hours of sleep. For three months straight, I’ve woken up with my newborn countless times throughout the night.
But seconds later, the piercing wail of my toddler shatters the silence and dashes my hopes of sleeping in.
Weary is an understatement. Without sufficient sleep, I’m physically exhausted and emotionally drained.
Maybe you know what weariness feels like, too.
We all go through seasons when the weight of life presses in on us, and rest slips out of reach. Whether it’s work overload, demands of parenting, pressures of ministry, or busy school schedules.
We’ve all been there.
And, thankfully, so has Jesus.
Jesus’ Full Yet Unhurried Life
Our Lord was a busy man while He walked on the Earth. He knew firsthand how it feels to experience the pressures of life.
As a carpenter, He worked on projects. As the son of Joseph and Mary, He did chores. As a rabbi, He discipled His followers. As the Son of God, He proclaimed the kingdom of God.
Jesus’ brief life on Earth was full of work. Each day, He was busy doing His Father’s business (Lk 2:49).
As Jesus’ popularity grew, so did the size of the crowds who pressed in around Him (Lk 5:15). He healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, preached to the poor, and made disciples.
Yet, as full as His schedule was, Jesus maintained an uncluttered, unhurried heart.
In a fast-paced, side-gig, boss-babe culture, we can also learn how to slow down and live with a restful, unhurried heart like Jesus.
An Invitation to Work Differently
“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 HCSB
Life is full of various kinds of work.
Thanks to Jesus, we don’t have to work to be saved (Ps 68:19). We can lay down the heavy burden of trying to do things for God.
No one or nothing else can give us the rest Jesus offers—He alone can extend relief from the weight of our sins.
But Jesus doesn’t tell us to stop working to find rest. Rather, He tells us to take up His yoke, to come alongside, and do our work with Him.
The absence of work doesn’t give us rest, but the presence of Jesus in our work does.
We take up His yoke to do everything with Him, not for Him, as though in our own strength.
Take Jesus to the office with you. Take Him to the nursery or the kitchen with you. Take Him to the grocery store with you.
Jesus will help you through it all. We may still have late nights, early mornings, and challenging situations, but we don’t ever walk through them alone.
We can find rest in Jesus.
Lessons from Jesus on Rest
The work of Jesus on the cross is what allows our souls to find rest in Him—relief from the impossible task of earning salvation. Here are three ways we can learn from Jesus and live with His easy yoke.
#1 – Live at Jesus’ Pace
“Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matthew 6:34 HCSB
God never intended for us to live at breakneck speed, exhausting ourselves in the process (Prv 23:4). Yet, we tend to wear ourselves out to get where we want to be, always focused on our future goals or what we don’t have.
Jesus focused on each day and whoever stood in front of Him.
Jesus trusted the Father placed Him where He was and followed the Holy Spirit’s leading to do whatever was put before Him.
As we learn to live at Jesus’ pace, we can trust that even when slowing down feels counterintuitive, we’re always right where we need to be because we’re with Him.
#2 – Spend Time with God
“But the news about Him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. Yet He often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.” – Luke 5:15-16 HCSB
Jesus may have been a busy man, but He prioritized uninterrupted time with His heavenly Father. The Son of God withdrew to deserted places to spend time with the Father.
Jesus drew strength for His ministry and daily tasks from times of prayer.
If Jesus were sitting in the chair next to us, going over our packed calendars, would He tell us what He told Martha: “one thing is necessary” (Lk 10:42)?
How much more do we need this rhythm of focused time with the Lord and prayer?
#3 – Trust God for the Growth
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 HCSB
If we’re wearing ourselves out to accomplish something and our souls are eating the bread of anxious toil (Ps 127:2), we’ve likely gotten off track. God is the One who gives us growth in our endeavors.
If the Lord is in it, He’ll cause it to grow in His timing (1 Cor 3:6).
We can be faithful to do our part, but we can’t do God’s part.
Let’s not be builders who labor in vain apart from God (Ps 127:1). Instead, in obedience, let’s seek the Lord for wisdom and trust Him with the results.
The Discipline of Rest
“In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food—yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves.” – Psalm 127:2 HCSB
Make spending time with God a priority on your calendar. Perhaps it won’t look like what you expect or even be as long as you’d like, but carve out daily time to be in Scripture and the Lord’s presence.
God knows your limitations and doesn’t expect you to exceed them, but to depend on Him through whatever season you find yourself today.
Consider this: are there any areas of life where you’re relying on your own strength rather than working with Jesus?
Life can be hectic. Babies may disturb our sleep, and we may not get all the naps we feel like we need.
But we can find rest for our souls by trusting in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and learning how to live at His speed today.
Sarah McClelland
Sarah McClelland is a wife, mama, writer, and YouTuber. Sarah creates content at Her Journey with God, where she helps women navigate life with faith and confidence. In her free time, she enjoys drinking coffee, reading, hiking, baking, and hanging out with family and friends.
