When There’s Too Much to Do - The Crosswalk Devotional - June 22
When There’s Too Much to Do
By Cindi McMenamin
Bible Reading:
“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)
Are you feeling today that there is just too much to do?
I remember a time in my life when I felt like I was drowning under the pressures of my job, in addition to being a pastor’s wife, mother, director of women’s ministries, friend, sister, and daughter. There was so much to do to keep up with family relationships, the house, my job, and my walk with God. I literally felt I was drowning in obligations and continually coming up short.
Today, I know that when I begin to feel like that, I’ve taken on more than I was intended to bear—and certainly more than God wants me to bear.
In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus told His people to come to Him and find rest because they were carrying burdens too heavy to bear. They were frustrated and failing under the religious system of their day, which put heavy burdens on them to live perfectly and obey every letter of the law. Jesus offered them His burden instead—a burden He said was light. What is the burden He offered them and the one God places on us today? What is the one thing He requires of us more than anything else?
One man asked Jesus the same question, to which Jesus responded, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
Matthew 11:28-30 in The Message reads like this:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Intersecting Faith and Life
God’s greatest requirement of us is not to do things for Him. It is to love Him. And not to love Him, but to love Him passionately, desperately, above any other person or thing.
God’s “burden” on us is not a heavy one. It isn’t a burden at all. It’s a privilege to love the God who sent His Son to die for us. The heavy burdens are the ones we place on ourselves:
- We try to solve everyone else’s problems when God calls us to pray for others, do what we can, and leave the rest to Him.
- Working harder for the church, thinking we must earn His love and grace, when He has already saved us by our faith and His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- Seeking to make amends for our past when God has told us He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12)
When I consider loving Him as my highest obligation and my heaviest burden, it makes all the other things I think I have to do pale in comparison. My to-do list, project at work, financial situation—none of those things is as important as loving my God. And therefore, I honestly can take His yoke upon me and find rest. There is anxiety and stress in striving to carry my burdens. There is peace and rest in simply loving Him.
O Lord, when we start to feel weary and weighted down, help us remember Your invitation to come to You, lay our burdens at Your feet, and find true rest.
Further Reading:
Mark 12:28-34
For more on growing closer to the God of rest, see my book, The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God.
Photo Credit: GettyImages/grinvalds
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
Related Resource: Relapse, Trauma, and the Power of Community
Caroline Beidler still vividly remembers cracking open her first beer under a big oak tree. She was 11. In this episode of Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic, host Jon Seidl sits down with Beidler—managing editor of recovery.com, author, and addiction recovery advocate—to explore her powerful story of childhood trauma, early addiction, spiritual awakening, relapse, and ultimate restoration through faith and community. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, share this podcast or follow Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
