Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

 

     Before I knew what a paragraph marker was I thought the symbol next to the verse meant it was a special verse. My childhood assumption was wrong But that doesn’t mean the verse isn’t special. It just means that the editors of the King James version of the Good Book weren’t going to point it out to me. I had to find it out for myself. And I did. I watched it proven in the lives of those around me. And then I became living proof.

     The greatest burden I have ever bore was caring for my mother. I thought I was weary over the years before this time. In fact my own health was in question and I was exhausted. But Mom needed me. Somehow, perhaps because of her example, I began to rely on Him daily. It was a rough 15 months. Nightly I thanked God for getting us both through the day. Every morning I woke asking Him to join me for another day. And He showed up. My body and spirit were strengthened for the tasks ahead.

      I looked up the word will. It means what you think it means: simple future tense of a verb. Then I noticed it can mean desire as well as habitual action. Ponder those meanings with me.  Can you imagine Jesus telling you that He desires to give you rest? I can the same way I can accept it as part of His routine or a habit.

     Rest is His to give. His desire is to give so you can trust Him to give it. Go ahead, give Him your burden and He will give you rest, both physical and spiritual.