Full Plate, Tired Heart? - Encouragement for Today - October 3, 2025
Full Plate, Tired Heart?
ALI PARSONS
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“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 (ESV)
When you lay your head down at night, what’s going through your mind? Is it restful gratitude for a full day? Or is it an endless to-do list of what you did or did not accomplish?
If you’re like me, you find yourself (more times than you’d like to admit) resting your head on the pillow, heart tired yet racing, thinking about what you didn’t get done today and what needs to be done tomorrow.
Some call me a “plate filler.” When I have just an inch of space in my life, I immediately fill it with another project, person, or passion. Maybe that sounds like you too?
Our world says we need to be present moms and driven career women (with a side hustle, of course), have solid friendships, date our spouse, eat healthy, exercise, have quiet time with the Lord, have a hobby, make sourdough, call our mom, travel to Europe, and knit all our clothes (OK, maybe I added that last one). The list of what we “should” be doing is long, exhausting, and exasperating.
Yet Jesus does not call us to a life of striving, schedules, and stress. He calls us to a life of soul rest:
“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’ve got the laboring, heaviness, and needing rest covered, but how often I forget His gentleness and lowliness. Lowliness is a humble posture of approachability and accessibility. He is an approachable and accessible God.
We are not meant to bear the weight of the world on our shoulders. As women, we so often do (or try). But Jesus essentially says, “Hey, come here. Let Me take that. Let Me take the weight of the world so you can live free.”
This doesn’t mean we don’t obediently live out our calling. But when we rest our souls in the presence of God, we are then free to run hard after what He has called us to do. These things go hand in hand.
Today, bring your to-do list, your stress, and your schedule to the feet of our lowly King … and pick up rest for your soul.
Jesus, I have been treating You like a far-off God who can’t handle (or doesn’t care about) my problems and projects. But today, I lay those at Your feet. I surrender them, knowing they are better in Your hands than mine. Help me run hard after all You’ve called me to, but may I do it from a place of rest and security in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
A lot of stress and striving can come from believing in lies and labels. For a 21-day Bible study to help you identify those labels and walk into full freedom as a daughter of the King, grab a copy of Daughter: On Your Way to Living a Gospel-Confident Life by Ali Parsons.
ENGAGE
To connect with Ali Parsons, you can find her podcast, Neighbors, anywhere podcasts are found. Every other week, she joins all kinds of guests who are living a life of doing what God is telling them to do. Find out more here!
And come hang out on social media @_ali_parsons and @neighbors_podcast.
FOR DEEPER STUDY
Philippians 4:6-7, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (ESV).
Pick an attribute of God that you want to remember this week (gentle, lowly, approachable, accessible, peaceful, in control, etc.). On a notecard, write “God is ______” with the attribute you picked. Put it somewhere you will see it, like a bathroom mirror or car dashboard, to remind you of who God is even when life feels full and fast.
What do you need to surrender to Jesus today as you pursue soul rest? Share with us in the comments!
© 2025 by Ali Parsons. All rights reserved.
