Do people ever make you feel weary? I mean, I can feel annoyed or angry or frustrated with people sometimes, but weary is different. Weary is heavy. Weary says "I don't know if I can do this anymore," or at the very least, "I really need a break." Sometimes, it borders on hopelessness. I guess that's why Jesus said "come to me, you who are weary and burdened..." (Matthew 11:28) Weary and burdened go hand in hand, one dragging the other until they both collapse, exhausted.
There are all kinds of things that make us feel weary and burdened. Work stress, illness, financial strain, busyness, you get the idea. I'm sure we could add to this list all day long. For me, today, it's people.
And somehow, that just feels awful.
When God gives me tough situations, I'm trying to learn to look for the lessons he wants to teach me through them. Today, I think it's the next part of the verse, the dot-dot-dot that I left out above. "Come to me, you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (italics added) I believe he's telling me to stop fretting and commit these people to him. There are some burdens I can't share or carry, and by trying, I will only become more weary. And there are some people who just need to find their rock bottom, and they never will if allowed to hop from one weary person's shoulders to the next.
Instead of weariness, I think I will cling to thankfulness for the offer of rest. It doesn't mean I will give up the praying or extending compassion, just the burden of worry and of trying to be the "fixer." After all, there is only one Savior, and it's definitely not me. We can all let out a big sigh of relief on that!
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