Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28 NLT

We have all had those moments where we feel we just cannot go on without rest.  I have definitely had my share of those moments. In the past, the pressure would get to me and the anxiety and depression would settle in.  The cure during those times was not to lean in to Jesus, but to turn to a bottle of pills or a bottle of alcohol, maybe both at the same time.  Sadly, that numbness would wear off and all that exhaustion and all the stress of life would still be there.

In the last 5 years I can look back and see the transformation in me and how I handle these situations because of the relationship I am building with Jesus

The difference now is I know that Jesus has my best interest at heart. I know that when I feel all alone that He is there and all I need in that moment.  I know when I am so tired and feel like I cannot go on, He will make a way.  Those moments when I am so worn out and at a loss at what to say in prayer, Jesus still hears me.  He hears that little whisper, that little wish that I need rest in order to persevere through the calling He has placed on my life.  I do not have to know what tomorrow holds, because He has it already planned out.

Today as I was driving to work on my long Tuesday with work starting at 6am and class until 10pm I quietly said to myself, “How I wish that this next class would be online”.   I did not actually pray for that, because I already knew I had to sit for the next class, 7 more Tuesdays.  After these classes then I would be attending all online.  In fact, I would even have most of December off school.  I was going to persevere knowing once again Jesus would get me through; after all, He did pass my statistics class for me.

Later that day, my advisor emailed me saying that I might actually have to take more seated classes after all.  While I wanted to just curl in a ball and cry, I remembered all the times in the last 5 years how He has seen me through.  I emailed my advisor back telling her about driving to work and wishing by some miracle this next class would change to online, that I definitely did not think I had it in me to continue in seated class.

By the end of the day my wonderful advisor had not only changed all my classes where they would be online, she managed to change my next class from seated to online.  It gets better, she advised me I also have an extra month off, two more weeks of this class and my next class is in January.   That is how my life has changed, Jesus doesn’t just answer my small tired whisper, He answers it with a bigger blessing on top of it.  He knows what I need, and He never fails.  This has happened with every single trial I have faced since I completely turned my life over to Him!

The following verse was in the school bathroom half way through my Statistics class.  I have claimed this as my verse throughout school.  I will finish what I am called to do, and I will live out the huge plans He has placed on my life!

Today I encourage you on your journey to trust in Him, turn it all over.  Your way will never work, but His way always will.

“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord.  Remember the great reward it brings you!  Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will.  Then you will receive ALL that He has promised.”  Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT