Laying Down My Burdens

Matthew 11:28–30

Can I just be real with you for a minute? Some days I feel like I’m holding the weight of everything, my family, my daughter, my job, the bills, and honestly…even the world. I sit at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in my hands, looking at the paperwork I still have to get completed, the emails I haven’t answered, and the list of things I should be doing around the house, and my chest just feels tight.

And then there’s my 17-year-old daughter. I love her more than anything, but some days I lay awake at night worrying: is she making the right choices? Is she safe? Is she walking close  enough with Jesus? My heart aches thinking about her future, and there are moments I feel powerless to protect her from the challenges I know she’ll face.

On top of all that, I worry about my husband, my brothers, my mom, taking care of everyone, finances. Bills, unexpected expenses, trying to stretch every dollar so we’re covered. And I’m sure you know what that’s like, feeling the stress gnaw at the edges of every conversation and every decision. Add in the calling God has placed on my heart, the singing, the speaking, the writing, the desire to reach women with His love, and some days it feels like I’m carrying everything at once, and I’m just…tired.

I used to try to hold it all myself. I’d push through the anxiety, plan and plan again, and tell myself, “If I just try harder, it will all be okay.” But it never was. My heart stayed heavy, my mind never quieted, and I felt like I was running a race I could never finish.

Then I came back to Matthew 11:28–30. I read it slowly, out loud even: “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.”

And I felt it, right in my chest. Jesus saying, “Come. Give it to Me. Lay it down. Stop carrying it all by yourself.” So I did. I literally put my hands down on the table, closed my eyes, and prayed: “Lord, I give You it all, my worries about my daughter, my family, my finances, my job, and the calling You’ve placed on my heart. I can’t carry it, but You can.”

It didn’t make everything disappear. The bills are still there. My daughter still has choices to make. My job still has stress. My family still needs so much. But something shifted. My chest felt lighter. My heart felt steadied. My mind quieted just enough to hear Him whisper, “I’ve got this. You don’t have to do it alone.”

Friend, if you’re sitting at your table right now, feeling like the weight of life is crushing you, I want you to hear this: you don’t have to carry it all. Jesus invites you to lay it down. The worries, the fears, the responsibilities, the “what ifs”. He can handle them. And when you give them to Him, He gives you something even better than a solution: His peace, His strength, His presence.

So today, I’m choosing to rest in Him. To let Him hold my heart and my burdens. And I want you to try it too. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Put it all down. He’s waiting, and He will carry it for you.

Prayer: Lord, I give You my worries today, my family, my daughter, my finances, my job, and the calling You’ve placed on my heart. Help me trust You with all of it. Hold me steady. Give me Your peace. Let me rest in You, knowing I don’t have to carry this alone. Amen.