Take my yoke upon you. You will find rest. Rest for your weary, turmoiled, overwhelmed soul.
My burden is light. Yours is not. Yours is made up of "oughts", "shoulds" and perceived weak, human failures. Yours is made up of the agenda you think you ought to follow. The personality you think you ought to exhibit. The perfection you are driven to find.
Cease striving.
Cease striving for perfection. Cease striving for superhero status. Cease striving to be enough. Cease striving to be like. . . or not be like. . . Cease striving to measure up. Cease striving to combat the inner monologue of driven self-criticism within your soul. Cease striving to prove your worth. Cease striving to do all, be all.
These are not your callings.
Love the Lord your God with everything you have.
This is your calling. This is your command.
Seek first His righteousness---and then, everything else will fall into place.
My burden is light and my yoke is easy for I know exactly what you can bear. Your burden and your yoke, taken upon yourself, goes beyond your own understanding of what your soul was created for. You create burdens never meant to be created for your weary heart. I understand you far better than you understand yourself. I work with that understanding. You work with what you think you should be able to handle.
Set it down.
Set down that self-imposed burden.
Set it down, turn your back and walk away. Towards my yoke. I will be gentler with you than you are with yourself. While I will stretch you and challenge you, discipline and chasten when needed, it is with My sovereign love that knows you and it will accomplish far more than your own beratings turned inward.
My grace is sufficient, but not for that which you have taken upon yourself. My grace is sufficient for that which I have called you to. For my yoke. For my burden.
I call it a yoke. I call it a burden. And yet, I tell you, while carrying it, you shall find rest for your souls. This rest is the grace provided for the burden I have called you to. It is not available for the one you create for yourself.
That weary heart? There is rest for it. Rest for weariness. Rest from the One who never grows faint or weary. For I carry your burden with you when you set down your yoke and take up mine. I walk beside you every step of the way.
Come to me, Weary One. I am your rest.
