Rest came easy for me. I lived in a safe house. My finances were reliable. Plans were in place for retirement and my future. Sleep came easy because the patterns and rhythms of my life were normal and stable.

But with the breaking of my marriage came the loss of easy rest.

I became the sole breadwinner and family protector overnight. Future plans suddenly unraveled. Security was ripped away—deeply impacting my rest.

There is so much pressure on me now. Maybe on you, too? Does it significantly affect your ability to be still and to rest? Yeah, me too. It’s a loss I feel deeply.

I so often feel burdened beyond what feels possible to bear. 100 thoughts are burning in my mind on any given day. Nights feel scary. The future feels impossible. The weight of all the things feels so heavy, doesn’t it? And that weight deeply interferes with our ability to shut off our minds and to still our bodies to experience deep REST.

Here’s the reality—I don’t have answers for the lists, the lack, the fear, the worry. I’m in the pit with you in that regard. But I have come to experience Jesus in a way that has changed me. I have found him to be the One who is my True Rest. Rest is no longer an ambiguous state of being that I chase. I have learned that rest is a person. Rest is Jesus himself—the only One strong enough to bear the weight of all it. And his whisper to me is COME. Cast your cares on ME because I care for you (Matthew 11:28).

It almost feels too good to be true, doesn’t it? Someone is willing to carry the weight and give rest to the weary! This goes way beyond a power nap. This is deep, soul-level, restorative, eternal rest. He is willing to bear the weight of all the things for all our days. His shoulders are broad enough and the gift of rest is free. He is our Refuge, our True Rest. He tucks us in under the shelter of his wings and bears the brunt of it all. Isn’t that good news?

So how do we receive it? We shrug off our anxieties and lay them at his feet. And then we sit down in his presence and abide with him. He carries our burdens as we make our home in him. So today, draw near, lay it down, and abide in Jesus—our True Rest.