What If You Don’t Have to Keep Living Like This?

An honest conversation for a Monday..

I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to wake up tired.

And I don’t necessarily mean physically tired, although that’s definitely a thing. I’m talking about waking up and immediately thinking about everything that needs your attention. The conversations you need to have, the bills that need to be paid, the things you wish you had handled differently yesterday, and the situations you still haven’t figured out.

Sometimes my brain is already three days into the future before I’ve even gotten out of bed.

I’ve planned the conversations, anticipated everyone’s responses, developed contingency plans, and already managed to get irritated about something that hasn’t even happened yet.

Good morning, Megan. Glad we’re doing this again.

Maybe you know what I’m talking about.

Maybe you’re carrying something right now that nobody knows about. Maybe you’re trying to keep things together for your family, navigating a difficult relationship, or wondering how you’re going to make everything work.

Or maybe your life looks pretty good from the outside, but something still feels unsettled.

You have things you once prayed for. You have reasons to be grateful. And yet, there’s this exhaustion you can’t quite explain.

I’ve been sitting with something Jesus said in Matthew 11, and I want to share it with you because I think there’s something here for both of us.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”— Matthew 11:28 (KJV)

Come unto Me.

I’ve read this verse plenty of times, but lately I’ve been paying attention to the invitation itself.

Jesus is speaking to people who are weary and carrying heavy burdens. And He invites them to come to Him.

I wonder how often I’ve read those words, appreciated how beautiful they sound, and then continued living like the entire operation depends on me.

Because if you know me at all, I can make just about anything complicated.

Give me a problem, and my brain immediately starts developing a solution. I’m identifying the issue, figuring out who’s responsible, creating an action plan, and anticipating what could go wrong.

I love a good system.

Unfortunately, I have occasionally attempted to project-manage the Almighty.

I’ll pray about something, tell God I trust Him, and then spend the next six hours trying to figure out exactly how He’s going to answer.

Lord, I trust You. Also, I’ve prepared a few suggestions for Your consideration.

And then I wonder why I’m exhausted.

There’s something about the invitation that gets me.

Jesus says, “Come unto me.”

I keep thinking about how personal that is.

He knows He’s speaking to weary people. He knows they’re carrying burdens. And He invites them to Himself.

When I think about who Jesus is and why He came, that invitation is even more significant.

Because my need for Him goes so much deeper than whatever happens to be making me tired this week.

I don’t know about you- but I can spend so much time trying to improve my circumstances that I never stop to consider what’s happening in my relationship with God.

I want peace. I want things to get better. I want to feel like I’m finally moving in the right direction.

But Scripture reveals something about humanity that every one of us has to wrestle with.

Romans 3:23 says:

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

All.

That includes me.

I’ve had plenty of moments when I knew what was right and chose something else. Times when pride got the better of me, when I wanted my own way, when I hurt someone, or when I acted like I knew better than God.

And those are just the things I’m aware of.

I’m sure there’s an entire collection of moments I thought I handled beautifully that heaven has a slightly different perspective on.

Sin is serious because it separates us from the God who created us. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death.

We can spend our lives trying to become better people, and there are certainly things we should work on. But none of those efforts can erase our sin or make us righteous before God.

And this is where the gospel gets me every time.

Because God knew.

He knew the condition of humanity. He knew we couldn’t rescue ourselves.

And He sent Jesus.

Romans 5:8 says:

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

While we were yet sinners.

I keep coming back to that part.

Jesus came knowing exactly who He was coming for.

He lived without sin, willingly died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day.

And because of what He accomplished, we can be forgiven and reconciled to God through faith in Him.

I think about how much energy I used to spend trying to prove myself worthy of things.

I wanted to be good enough. I wanted to make up for what I’ve done. I wanted people to see that I’ve changed.

And for a long time I brought that same thinking into my relationship with God.

I assumed I needed to get myself together before I could approach Him.

But Ephesians 2:8–9 tells us that salvation is by grace through faith. It’s a gift from God.

And I am deeply grateful for that.

Because if salvation depended on my ability to get everything right, we’d have a problem.

A substantial one.

Now, can we talk about those of us who already know Jesus?

Because this is where these words get so real for me.

I believe Jesus died for me. I believe He rose again. I believe His Word.

But do I actually live like I trust Him with the things happening in my life right now?

That’s where things get uncomfortable.

I can trust Him with my eternity and still struggle to trust Him with Tuesday.

I can believe He has all authority and then become completely consumed by a situation I have very little control over.

I can pray about something and immediately start worrying about it again.

It’s almost impressive how quickly I can transition from “Lord, I surrender this to You” to “Okay, but here’s what I think we should do.”

And I wonder why I do that.

Sometimes I think it’s because I want answers. I want to understand what He’s doing. I want to know how everything is going to work out so I can prepare myself.

Uncertainty is uncomfortable.

And if I’m being honest, there are times when I’d much rather have a detailed explanation than an opportunity to exercise my faith.

Preferably with dates, times, and a clear list of deliverables.

But Jesus continues in Matthew 11:

“Then Jesus said, “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.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Let me teach you.”

That part has been sitting with me.

Because Jesus is inviting us into a life of following Him, learning from Him, and living under His authority.

And He tells us what He’s like.

Gentle. Humble.

I think about how easily I can convince myself that God must be frustrated with me because I’m struggling with something I’ve already prayed about.

Or how I sometimes hesitate to bring the same concern to Him again because I feel like I should be further along by now.

You know those moments when you’re thinking, Lord, we have discussed this. Extensively. I have highlighted the Scripture. I have taken notes. Why am I still acting like this?

And yet, when I read what Jesus says about Himself, I have to confront the fact that some of my assumptions about how He receives me don’t line up with His Word.

He’s inviting me to learn from Him.

And apparently, I still have quite a bit to learn.

Good thing He’s a patient Teacher.

I wish I could tell you that following Jesus makes everything easier.

I really do.

I wish I could tell you that every prayer gets answered exactly how you hoped, that difficult relationships become healthy overnight, and that the moment you surrender your life to Him, all your problems disappear.

Wouldn’t that be something?

Give your life to Jesus on Sunday. By Monday, the bills are paid, the kids are getting along, your marriage is thriving, and nobody at work is testing your sanctification.

Sign me up.

But that hasn’t been my experience, and it isn’t what Scripture promises.

Jesus actually tells us in John 16:33 that we will have tribulation in this world.

There will be difficult seasons.

There will be losses we don’t understand, prayers we continue praying, and circumstances that require us to trust God when we can’t see what He’s doing.

But Jesus also says, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

And I think that’s where my hope keeps finding its way back.

Jesus has overcome.

The same Jesus who invites the weary to come to Him is the One who conquered sin and death.

He’s the One who makes reconciliation with God possible.

And He’s the One who continues to teach us how to walk with Him in the middle of real life.

Even when real life is doing the absolute most.

Maybe you’ve been wondering about Jesus.

I don’t know where you are in your relationship with God.

Maybe you’ve known Him for years.

Maybe you grew up around church but never really understood what it meant to follow Jesus for yourself.

Or maybe you’ve been curious about Him, but you’ve always felt like there were too many things in your life that needed to change first.

If that’s you, I wish we could sit across the table from each other for a while.

I’d probably ask you what you’ve heard about Jesus. What you believe about Him. Whether you’ve ever read the Gospels for yourself.

And I’d want to tell you about the Jesus I’ve come to know through Scripture.

The One who came into this world to save sinners.

The One who willingly gave His life on the cross and rose again.

The One who offers forgiveness and reconciliation with God to those who repent and place their faith in Him.

I wouldn’t want you to walk away thinking that you have to become some perfect version of yourself before you can turn to Him.

None of us could ever make ourselves worthy of salvation.

That’s why Jesus came.

And if you’ve never placed your faith in Him, I hope you’ll consider His invitation.

You can talk to Him right where you are. You can acknowledge your sin, turn to Him, and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.

You can ask questions. You can open the Bible and begin reading about Him. You can reach out to someone who knows Him and have an honest conversation.

I’d love to have that conversation with you.

And for the record, you don’t need to learn an entirely new vocabulary before talking to God.

You can speak to Him honestly.

He already knows what’s going on anyway.

And for the rest of us, maybe there’s something here, too.

I’ve been thinking about what it would look like to approach this week differently.

Not with some elaborate plan to become the most spiritually disciplined version of myself by Friday.

Because knowing me, I’d probably create a spreadsheet for that, too.

With conditional formatting.

And a dashboard.

Lord, help me.

But what would happen if I paid more attention to the invitation Jesus has already extended?

What if I brought Him my concerns before spending hours trying to solve them?

What if I opened my Bible with the intention of actually learning from Him instead of rushing through a reading because it’s on my list?

What if I was honest with Him about the things I’m struggling to surrender?

And what if, when I catch myself picking those burdens back up, I come to Him again?

I think that’s where I want to start.

I still have responsibilities. There are things that need my attention, decisions that need to be made, and people who are counting on me.

Those things aren’t going to disappear because I read Matthew 11 this morning.

The laundry is still going to be there.

Actually, the laundry has apparently entered into a covenant with my household. It has no intention of leaving.

But I can learn to approach my responsibilities while depending on Jesus.

I can acknowledge that I don’t know everything.

I can ask Him for wisdom.

I can obey what He’s already shown me and trust Him with what I still don’t understand.

And I can stop pretending that I have the ability to control every outcome.

That’s going to take some practice.

Probably a lot of practice.

But I’m willing to keep learning.

Because the more I read this passage, the more I realize that Jesus has been inviting me to come to Him all along.

And I don’t want to be so consumed with everything I’m carrying that I miss the opportunity to know Him more deeply.

So if you’re feeling weary today, maybe we can both spend some time with Matthew 11:28–30.

Read what Jesus says.

Think about who He is.

And consider what it might look like to respond to His invitation right where we are.

Whether you’re meeting Him for the first time or you’ve been walking with Him for decades, there’s still so much to learn about the One who calls us to Himself.

I’m right there learning, too.

And I’m grateful that He’s patient with me in the process.

Because apparently, I can trust Jesus with my eternal salvation and still need to be reminded that He can handle my Monday.

We’re working on it.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

If you’re reading this and have questions about Jesus, salvation, or what it means to follow Him, I’d genuinely love to hear from you. You don’t have to have the right words or know exactly what to ask. We can start with a conversation.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I am praying that it was an encouragement to you today. At the end of the day we’re all just trying to live and if we don’t start our Monday off with Jesus – this week will have us for dinner!

“Jesus- you already know everything. You knew me before I ever got here. Thank You for loving me and inviting me to come to You, even when I’m tired and overwhelmed. Forgive me for trying to carry everything on my own. Help me trust You with the things I can’t control and give me wisdom for the things I need to handle.

For anyone who doesn’t know You, I pray they would come to know Jesus and experience the forgiveness, hope, and new life found in Him.

Teach us to walk with You, trust Your Word, and find rest in Your presence.

In Jesus’ name, amen.”