How Do We Handle Stress?

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””

(Matthew 11:28–30, ESV)

Many of us are walking life with a burden of stress on our backs and in our hearts. We are struggling to keep up, to find belonging, to understand our thoughts and emotions. Each of these feels like a great weight.

And then we encounter someone who says, “Don’t worry!” or “No stress!” I wish it was so simple! And yet when I approach my weights in life, it feels more like the balloon in the picture above - I am scared to name or face them because it feels more like they are going to explode than calm down.

We were reminded Sunday of the rest that we can find only in Christ. This is not given us as a spiritual cliche or an oversimplified solution to our struggle. Rather, in this passage, Jesus recognizes the weights and responsibilities we face and offers to share the “yoke” with us. He does not promise to remove the struggle but instead offers to bear it with us.

True rest is found only as we walk with Christ. Many try various ways to escape the pressures of this life, but they all fail at truly getting us through. The promise here is that Christ will be our strength and care-giver as we walk through the various aspects and seasons of life.