Unstrap Your Backpack

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” // Matthew 11:28-30

I was the very last one on the plane that morning. I was sweating profusely beneath the weight of my large hiking backpack, stuffed for a week in the Dominican Republic. Our group of high school missionaries had been delayed in the security line, and I had urged everyone to hurry to the gate without me. My heart raced wildly as I heard the last call for our flight and sprinted through the terminal and up the escalator. Finally buckled in—exhausted and relieved—I was flooded with anxious thoughts and worst-case scenarios. What if I had missed my flight and the connecting one? It would be humiliating to fail these girls, their parents, and the teachers who had entrusted them to my care. But I was most afraid of disappointing Jesus, the One Whom I was striving to love and serve.

None of my fears were realized that week, and it would take time to understand what Jesus was trying to teach me. In fact, it took years of a breathless, dogged sprint through marriage, motherhood, and ministry before I could begin to unpack and relinquish the heavy load I was carrying. I was working hard for Jesus and the people I loved, but I was tired, lonely, and struggling with discouragement.

“Come to Me,” Jesus spoke tenderly to me through the years, “not so I can evaluate your work, or give you more to do, but so I can relieve you of your burden of self-reliance, your need to earn My love and prove your worth.” Slowly, my identity has shifted from worker and orphan, to friend and beloved. As I respond to Jesus’ invitation to come to Him through daily prayer, the Sacraments, and His Word, I receive the rest—a deep peace and refreshment—that He promises.

Dear sister in Christ, I know that I am not the only one who has labored under a heavy load, who finds it difficult to ask for help, and is motivated by fear. Today, take time in prayer to slow down, catch your breath, unstrap your backpack, and ask Jesus to teach you His way of love. May we receive, even amidst our labors and the burdens of each day, the sweetness and lightness of a life united to Christ.