Moments for Mom: He Will Give You Rest

Mom, are you tired? Do you feel like you're doing a thousand things, being pulled in a hundred directions, but not doing anything with excellence? Do you have so much on your mind that you leave Post-it® notes all around your house so you can jot down an idea or list when it comes to you? (Okay, maybe that one's just me...)

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest," said Jesus in the book of Matthew.

Come...it is an invitation...a standing invitation...He offers, and we must accept...

...to Me...there is only One who would be this bold, who could offer something so perfect for our need...Christ alone.

...all who...I wonder if He said this with a subtle smile in His voice...He knew that not only would we all feel this way from time to time, most of us - if we are honest - live with weariness and burdens as an underlying way of life...this is an offer not just to a select few...but to each one of us.

...are weary and burdened...it's okay to admit it - you're tired sometimes...maybe more than you'd like to let on. You have a ton of things on your mind - some trivial...what should the kids wear for school pictures?, what should I bring for Thanksgiving?, how will we pay that dentist bill?...Some not so trivial...will my Dad survive the cancer?, will my husband keep his job?, will I be able to patch things up with my friend? He knows....

...and I will give you rest...Can you even imagine? How confident of Him. Almost nervy. Especially because He does know what our lives are like. Yet that is the one thing He felt we all needed the very most. Rest. I love even the sound of that word, let alone the concept. His offer to step into our circumstances, to navigate so we don't have to, to listen to our hearts so we don't have to walk through this with the weight of the world on our shoulders. He's ready and waiting. He offers something to you and to me...something that we need so desperately...a gentle yet strong dose of rest...and He is the only One who can truly propose this to us...because He is the only One who knows us completely, holds us up completely, and loves us completely.

Mom, take a deep breath, and just go to Him...He'll meet you right there.

Elisabeth K. Corcoran is the author of Calm in My Chaos: Encouragement for a Mom's Weary Soul. She is wife to Kevin, and mom to Sara, almost 7, and Jack, 5-&-1/4 (per his request). Her passion is encouraging women and she fulfills that through heading up the Women's Ministries at Blackberry Creek Community Church in Aurora, IL and writing as much as she can. Calm in My Chaos (2001) can be purchased directly through her publisher, Kregel Publications at #1-888-644-0500 or www.kregel.com, at amazon.com, or through your local Christian bookstore. This column is original and not excerpted from her book.

Copyright © 2003 Elisabeth K. Corcoran