Some words echo in the soul long after they’re spoken. For me lately, it’s these three:
“Come to me.”
That’s how Jesus begins one of His most tender invitations, spoken in Matthew 11:28–30 (NLT):
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
The Wear and Tear of Life
A few days ago, while pulling a trailer across state lines during our move to Arkansas, my truck started sputtering. Something wasn’t right. I pulled into an auto parts store and, after some troubleshooting, discovered a spark plug completely worn out. Not cracked. Not chipped. Worn. Down. To. Nothing.
It reminded me: everything wears out eventually—even the strong stuff.
If we’re going to wear out, let it be for the right reason. Let it be for Jesus.
Life doesn’t always wait for perfect timing to add pressure. And Jesus doesn’t wait for perfect conditions to invite us in. He meets us in the mess, misfires and all, and offers rest. But not the kind of rest that removes all responsibility—the kind that reorders it.
What We Leave to Come to Jesus
Coming to Jesus means we’re leaving something else behind. Not because He’s harsh, but because His way is lighter—not weightless, but well-fitting.
Here are three burdens we often carry that Jesus calls us to drop:
1. Pride
We’ve all said it: “I’ve got this.”
But James 4:6 reminds us:
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
When we rely on ourselves alone, we cut ourselves off from grace. Jesus calls us to humility—not weakness, but willingness to depend on Him.
2. People Pleasing
Ever tried to make everyone happy? It’s exhausting—and impossible.
Paul puts it plainly in Galatians 1:10 (NLT):
“If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.”
Kindness isn’t the problem—misplaced approval is. Our worth isn’t in how many people like us. It’s in the One who loved us first.
3. Performance
It’s easy to confuse fruit with performance.
Jesus warned against empty worship in Matthew 15:8–9 (NLT):
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
There’s nothing wrong with structure or effort. But when the method becomes sacred and the mission becomes stale, we’ve drifted. Jesus invites us back—not to doing, but to being.
The Invitation That Still Stands
Jesus once told a story about a feast in Luke 14:15–24. Invitations went out. Excuses came back:
- “I bought a field…”
- “I just got new oxen…”
- “I just got married…”
The host didn’t cancel the party—he found new guests.
Sometimes we miss the banquet because we’re too busy managing the oxen.
Final Thoughts
There’s a beautiful simplicity in Jesus’ invitation: “Come to me.”
Not come perform.
Not come fix yourself.
Not come figure it all out.
Just come.
He doesn’t offer an escape from responsibility, but an exchange of burdens. His yoke doesn’t remove the work—it redefines it. And in that shift, we find something we desperately need: rest for our souls.
What are you carrying today that Jesus never asked you to hold alone? Lay it down. Walk with Him. His way is still the way of rest.