Come to Me...

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. ~ Matthew 11: 28-30

I don’t know how she did it.

There was no need to set an alarm. Her eyes opened automatically with the dawning of a new day. Thoughts of kids, chores, breakfast, packed lunches, car repairs, a leaking roof and cats that needed to be fed forced her out of the bed. She must have looked in the mirror on some mornings and fought back the tears, certain that she should give up. But, she never did. She kept breathing. She kept moving. She kept giving herself over and over and over in service of others. And I was one of those others.

I don’t know how she did it.

My mom was little less than a miracle worker. As I was growing up she balanced several jobs, running a household, raising three kids, and everything that goes with that. And she did it all pretty much on her own. Yet even greater than her tenacity, was that in the midst of all she encountered, she managed to hand on something to me that was invaluable: a strong faith in Jesus Christ.

I don’t know how she did it.

As I grow a little older, and have a chance to reflect back on what it must have been like for my mom to be a single mother of three kids, I find myself in awe. The pressure she must have felt to fulfill those responsibilities must have been so great. I suppose that is why with all that was going on, with every worry that she must have had, and despite every effort of us kids to fight it, she made sure to bring us to church every weekend. She made sure to pass that gift on to us.
Jesus tells his followers that all who labor and are heavy burdened should come to him, and he will give them rest. For the yoke he provides is easy, and his burden is light.

I can imagine that when Sunday morning came around my mom would have loved to stay in bed and catch up on much needed sleep. I’m certain the last thing she wanted to do was wake up three stubborn teenagers and hall them off to a place they did not want to go. Yet she knew that when the entire world kept taking from her—over and over—she had a savior whose burden was light. She could come to him and receive the grace, mercy, love and rest necessary to make it just one more hour, just one more day, just one more week.

I have learned so many lessons from my mom. But this is one that I pray I never forget. No matter how busy I may be, no matter what obligations I have, no matter how exhausted I am or how sick of life I may be: Jesus remains the same. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. When I feel like I simply cannot give anymore of myself over to the world, I can fall in his arms and find rest.

As I now reflect I guess I maybe do know how she was able to do it. Jesus’ arms were always waiting to hold her, and they are waiting to hold you, too. May you find rest in him.