“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” // Matthew 11:28
I noticed the sun glint across the thick, strong, grassy meadow before me. It sparkled in a way that ushered me back into balance, one that offered me reprieve from the hard and hefty weight of the troubles I had been carrying. And as I gazed upon the soft lush glow before me, I felt Him.
“Rest,” He said to my troubled heart.
But I couldn’t. Because I knew that when I turned away from the bright, welcoming glimmer of the meadow, I’d fall right back into that familiar darkness. After all, there were still medical bills to be paid and calendars to be filled in and health issues to be scrutinized.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest,” Christ tells us in today’s Gospel (Matthew 11:28). If I’m honest with you, I will admit that I don’t believe it—not deeply in my heart. Because even when He whispers rest to my weary soul, I often find myself frazzled and empty from trying to lift the burdens of life on my own. I pray about them, sure, but I don’t fully trust Him to bring me the reprieve He promises.
I don’t know if you feel similarly or what sort of burdens you might be trying to carry, but I do know the weight of it all is heavy. And I want to believe in the rest He offers. So, put it down, dear sister.
May we find the strength to trust in His promise. May we draw on His strength, and let Him bring us rest.
Brittany Calavitta is an enthusiastic advocate for a good book, strong coffee, and a hopeful heart. After battling years of infertility, she and her husband welcomed their first child on September 11, 2016. While balancing time between life with a preschooler and a husband who travels for ministry, Brittany dances professionally all over Southern California where her family currently resides. She was a contributing author to Here Too: Where We Find God and Made New: 52 Devotions for Catholic Women. Find out more about her here.
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