"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is easy [to bear], and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

What are you attempting in your own strength? Chances are, whatever it is, it's too heavy. We are not made to "muscle" our way through life. Have you ever walked carrying a heavy load? Do you remember the relief you felt putting it down? Life can pile on baggage until we find ourselves balancing loads of teetering hopes, desires, responsibilities, and concerns. The truth is, in our strength that they can nearly crush us. We simply aren't designed to carry the heavy load alone. The Lord says to us, "My love, how can you possibly handle that weight? Here, let me take that." Far beyond chivalry, it's Godliness. Unimaginable care and provision for our frailty and weakness. Though incompressible, it’s undeniably real and available if we receive it.

Few of us intend to take on more weight than we should. Most often, it's altruistic intentions that add a bit of "I will help" here and a dash of "I don't want to be a bother" there until our hands and lives are packed to the brim with blessings that somewhere, somehow managed to feel more like burdens. I don't know about you, but here are a few of the most common ways I do the heavy lifting:

• Martha'ism – doing, doing, doing
• Pushing myself physically even when I know it's not beneficial
• Trying to control circumstances
• Looking out for everyone's feelings to protect them from hurts or disappointments
• Caring too much about the opinions of man

Heavy. Weights!

In Matthew 11, we read one of the most extraordinary invitations to rest in Jesus found anywhere in scripture. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. Is there anyone out there taking a deep exhale? Yes! Yes, please! It seems so obvious, a no-brainer, right? Why, why wouldn't we accept such a gracious and generous invitation? Yet, how many continue to plod through with a hypothetical set of weights bound around our necks? Perhaps because we don't fully understand the invitation or the One making the offer?

First, our Lord says, "Come to me." Jesus never moves away, but we do. Receiving His rest requires movement toward Him. Second, we must understand the rest that Jesus offers. In our natural state, we associate doing with achievement. The more we do, the more we accomplish, attain, pay off, serve, and save. In God's system, we become more by doing less and being more. Like many things in God's economy, this too appears a bit backward. Being with Jesus, like Jesus, and for Jesus, is the path that leads to holy rest. But to do that, you first must know Jesus. Not just know about Jesus, but really know Him. I believe this is the obstacle that keeps so many of us from the transaction of grace.

There are plenty of well-intentioned yet overburdened women of God who faithfully read their bible and know that they should trust God. They genuinely desire to trust God. They will their heart to line up with what their head tells them. Yet, their actions reveal the truth. They want to trust God, but heartbreaking truth is that the promises just aren't real to them. I wonder if you can relate.

So how is a gal after God's own heart to make that connection? Through small steps of faith. Maybe you begin by offering to trade something small for the gift of grace and rest? With time as you open your hand and heart, watching – experiencing – God come through for you, you begin to know that He is faithful. One piece of heavy load at a time, you gain the courage to believe His offer is genuine and trustworthy. You can only truly trust someone you intimately know. Trust is a relational gift discovered only as we experience God, begin to look for Him, and finally rest in Him.

Pray! Ask the Lord today what you need to hand Him. Confess your need for his help and the tendency to carry too much. Then, close your eyes, reach out your hands, and trust Him to care for what's close to your heart. I use a visual form of prayer that you might want to try. I imagine everything I'm holding onto or carrying, the weight, the worry, the stiving, circumstances I'm manipulating in love, and the opinions I am tempted to woo. Then, I imagine opening a vast container (I say container because sometimes the Lord will show me a suitcase, other times, a bag. Once He showed me a treasure chest!) and I carefully place in it each one. After I've included everything the Lord suggests, I close the sacred holding place in my mind's eye and envision myself handing it to Jesus. He is always– always –standing ready, with love and a warm smile on His face as He gently takes it and assures my Heart, "I will care for this well. You can trust me."

May you too accept the great invitation He offers you today.