You know those cartoon scenes where they have a bunch of big items somehow balancing on something so small, but then as if in slow motion a feather begins to float down, lands on top and everything comes crashing down? Yeah? That’s me right now. Not the feather or the items trying to balance on top. I’m on the bottom and the best way I know how to describe it is that I’ve had many heavy rocks placed on my shoulders and a feather recently sent everything crashing down.

Please let me explain. This all started back in March when my body turned on me and I wasn’t able to eat most food without being in pain. That was stone number one. Next, we got word that my parents cabin had flooded. Stone number two. In the mean time, Covid was happening and many businesses were struggling and I was furloughed. Stone number three. While my parents were away dealing with their cabin, my mom noticed some bizarre behavior for my dad. Turned out my dad had a brain tumor and needed surgery immediately. That was boulder number four. As he recovered, we were trying to decide what to do with his company. The stress of this felt like stone number five.

Not too long after, my dad ended up needing a second brain surgery that we were told there was a 50% chance he would survive. This was the second boulder, but the sixth thing that began to weigh me down. Two days after his surgery, my moms dog knocked her down and she severely broke her wrist. Stone number seven. Pretty soon after that virtual school started. Stone number eight. That same day, my husband was called in for hurricane duty. Stone number nine. Also that same day, my dog, whether intentional or not, bit my daughter on the face. Stone number ten. While dealing with all this, my moms health began to decline. She ended up in the ER which led us quickly to a surgery for her to determine if she too had cancer. Praise the Lord she does not, but that was stone number eleven.

While trying to get through all of these things, my husband and I decided that homeschool would be a better option. Stone number twelve. While preparing for that, it was also determined that I would head back to work part time. Stone number thirteen. Then the long awaited deployment finally arrived. Stone number fourteen. When my husband left, he hit a deer that night in his truck. Stone fifteen. And all the while still dealing with my own health issues. I think it goes without saying that the last 8 months have been a very hard time for our family.

I write all that to say that this all kind of came to a head just a couple days ago. As I said in my analogy, I had all the stones that I had been carrying around, but a small thing happened and sent me crashing to the floor. And I don’t mean metaphorically. My legs quite literally would no longer hold me up. I sat on the floor of my shower and wept as I hoped that my children would not hear me. I cried and then I cried out to God. I told Him how tired I am. In fact, I believe my exact words were, “I’m so freaking tired!” The weight of all this had finally become too much.

Now, when I say the weight of it, I don’t mean the weight of trying to fix it all. I know who my God is and I know that He will take care of it. My faith in Him has not wavered. No, what I was doing was trying to be strong for everyone. Strong for my parents, strong for my husband, strong for my children, strong to friends, strong at the company. My mom has always used the saying, “One day at a time”. I had been taking one day at a time, but the weight became so much that I couldn’t figure out how to take one day at a time when I wasn’t sure I could even take the next step.

Two days after I cried out, I felt God answer. I have listened to this one song hundreds of times, but this day as I listened to the words, the tears once again began to flow. “You don’t have to do a thing, simply be with me.” With those lyrics, I felt the presence and the peace of God flow over me. Immediately this scripture came to mind, “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.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

I imagined myself lying in a field, leaning up against a tree with God sitting next to me. Over off to His side, my rocks stacked up. He told me to rest and that I don’t have to do a thing. I don’t need to be strong anymore. He is strong. He will be my strength. He will be my moms strength. He will be my dads strength. He will be my husbands strength as well as my children’s. And what is my strength compared to His? His supernatural peace overwhelmed me once again.

I don’t have to do anything, but to simply be with Him. He says “Come to me.” And isn’t that all He ever wants? Whatever burden you’re carrying, go to Him and lay it down. For His yoke is easy and His burden is light!