“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28
“All who labor” - All of the people I know personally have put honest, hard work in at some point in their lives. Some have retired and aren’t working in the traditional sense now, but are finding ways to keep productive, whether it is serving at their church or baby-sitting grandkids. Work also doesn’t look the same as it did 100 years ago, or even 20 years ago. Manual labor still exists but it is not nearly as widespread. Jesus spent a lot of time preaching to those who understood exhausting manual labor. Nonetheless, Jesus is calling “All” who labor to find rest in him. Not just on a “Sabbath” day, but on a continual basis. It is right that we should pause from our daily labor to find rest in Him.
“Heavy laden” - How many of us are stressed or have been stressed out by our work? Do these times actually feel like a heavy weight? Since I no longer play baseball, one of my favorite things to do is powerlift. I think of the heavy laden aspect as a bunch of weight on a barbell that I’m getting ready to squat. You can feel the weight when you take it off of the rack. Of course Jesus isn’t talking about that specifically, but he is calling all who feel the weight and pressure of working, creating, and doing to come to Him for rest.
I have never regretted a moment of time spent praying or studying the scriptures. I have regretted many 60+ hour work weeks. When I came to know Christ, this was one thing that changed with me right away. It’s not that I didn’t work hard. I started to work hard on the things that mattered. I was delivered from striving for all the extras; bonuses, nice cars, a huge house, etc. I’m not being critical of wealth at all! For me though, I was compelled to trade that for teaching my four kids how to hit a baseball, climb a tree, bait a hook, and ride a bike. And we do that kind of stuff together everyday. I’m content with less salary because I’ve found treasure in Jesus Christ.
Jesus has a different way! Come to Him to find rest.