Author’s Note: I’ve written about faith that burns like fire. I’ve written truths that felt like prophecy in my bones. But on this day? My faith didn’t feel poetic. It felt tired. Heavy. Like trying to hold a conversation with God through a mouthful of water. This post isn’t me preaching. It’s me gasping. And if you’ve ever felt the same—I hope you find something in here that lets you breathe again too.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
I’ve seen that verse on bumper stickers, devotionals, throw pillows, coffee mugs.
But when life is coming at me fast—
When bills are unpaid,
When my kid just had another meltdown,
When trauma’s looping in my chest,
When I haven’t slept and I’m running on fumes—
I don’t know what Jesus actually means when He says that.
Because I’m already weary.
I’m already heavily burdened.
So… haven’t I already “come to You , God”?
Then why don’t I feel rest?
That’s the hard part no one wants to talk about.
Not everyone can just run to a quiet corner and lay their burdens down and walk away lighter.
Some of us live in ongoing survival.
Some of us are single moms, special needs parents, trauma survivors, system fighters, full-time workers, and barely-holding-it-together believers.
So when we hear,
“Come to Me, and I’ll give you rest,”
we don’t reject it…
but we do wrestle with it.
Because it feels like a spiritual offer wrapped in practical impossibility.
What does it mean to come to Jesus when:
I’m running out of time and breath?
I can’t find 2 minutes of silence, let alone peace?
I keep praying, God – but my circumstances haven’t changed?
What does “rest” mean when I still have to cook dinner, go to court, refill meds, hold space for my children’s meltdowns and their own trauma responses, make every appointment, and still show up for a full time job – and try not to break under it all?
Here’s what I’m starting to believe:
Coming to Him doesn’t always mean escaping the storm.
Sometimes it just means turning toward Him in the middle of it.
Sometimes it looks like crying in the car.
Sometimes it looks like praying while washing dishes.
Sometimes it looks like saying:
“God, I’m coming to You… but I’m still drowning.
Please hold me in the flood and keep my head from going under.”
And that rest He offers?
It’s not a nap.
It’s not vacation-mode peace.
It’s not the end of the fight.
It’s the kind of rest that shows up in the middle of the chaos.
The kind that says:
“You’re still mine.
You don’t have to carry this alone.
You’re not a bad Christian because you’re tired.
You’re not weak for breaking down.
I’m still here. Even now.”
Rocking you and even crying with you
If you’re in survival mode and wondering where the rest is…
You’re not crazy.
You’re not unspiritual.
You’re not disqualified from peace.
You’re just real.
And the God who said “Come to Me” knew exactly who He was inviting.
The overwhelmed.
The anxious.
The ones who feel like they’re doing everything wrong right now but still refuse to give up.
So maybe, for you, coming to Him today won’t look like reading a whole chapter or sitting in prayer for 30 minutes.
Maybe it will sound like a whisper through clenched teeth:
“God… I can’t do this without You.”
That’s enough.
That counts.
That’s coming to Him, too.
Final Truth I am carrying daily.
Your burdens don’t disqualify you from grace.
They’re the exact reason it exists.
And if all you can do today is turn your heart 1° closer to Him in the chaos—
He sees it.
He honors it.
And He’ll meet you right there.
Even if the dishes still aren’t done.
Even if the trauma hasn’t lifted.
Even if your world keeps spinning out of control and everything you say or do just feels off.
He will still give you rest.
Not because your life is calm.
But because He is.
Isaiah 43:2
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Psalm 61:2
“From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
Exodus 14:14
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
If my words spoke to your heart, you can help support our journey:
Letters From the Edge 