The verse that is on my mind right now is, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”^[1] As I roll the verse around in my mind I don’t get much further than “Come to me, all you who are weary….” Sure, the rest of the verse is there promising rest, but in this moment I can’t seem to get past the come to Jesus part. I can quickly skip to “and I will give you rest,” but that neglects, perhaps, the most important part of the verse. Jesus has invited me to come. Not only that, he has recognized my weariness. Somehow, that in and of itself moves me in this moment, my weariness being recognized. I feel so seen.

Maybe this is injecting something into the passage that isn’t there, but as I feel invited by God to come to him, I feel in tandem with that the invitation to pour out my soul before him. It’s almost as if he has said, “Come on, let’s talk. Tell me about it.” Even without the promise of rest, that is so much enough.

So what about you? What would you tell him if he were saying to you, “Come on, let’s go talk. Tell me about what’s going on.” What would you say? I find myself telling him about frustrations and anxieties at work. About the growing pains that come with being a young adult. About living in and navigating the sorrows of a broken world. It all weighs on me in ways that are all my own! And I’m sure the same is true for you! Surely, you’ve got your own list of hurts, sorrows, and disappointments. How could you not? But with those disappointments, sorrows, and hurts comes the chance to come close and be seen by Jesus.

So go. Take the sorrows, hurts, and disappointments, and be close to Jesus. Rest is promised to you. But perhaps the sweeter discovery is the company you’ll find when you do get close.

^[1] Matt. 11:28