Rest is a beautiful gift. But in seasons of pain, it often feels just out of reach. When life feels like it’s unraveling, rest can seem impossible. What does rest even mean when you can’t take a break from grief, uncertainty, or heartbreak?
The invitation of Jesus was never a promise to remove us instantly from pain. It was a call to bring our pain to Him.
Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
Throughout Scripture, we see faithful men and women wrestling in dark seasons. David cried out in the Psalms. Job asked hard questions. Elijah collapsed in exhaustion. Even Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, wrestled with sorrow and surrender. These moments remind us that faith is not pretending everything is fine. Instead, it is choosing to stay in relationship with God when everything is not okay. When your entire world feels like it is falling apart. When your ability to control the outcome is absent.
Christ-centered rest doesn’t always look like quiet mornings or neatly resolved emotions. Sometimes it looks like honest prayers whispered through tears. Sometimes it looks like opening Scripture and sitting with one verse because that’s all the strength you have. Sometimes it means letting others carry you when your own legs won’t move forward.
Rest in dark seasons is less about escaping the wrestle and more about who we wrestle with. I will be the first to admit that I tend to wrestle with myself far longer than I should in times of pain. Instead of wrestling with ourselves, we need to wrestle in our pain with Jesus. When we bring our questions, fears, and fatigue to Jesus, rest becomes an act of trust. We stop striving to understand and start surrendering to His presence.
Today, if you feel worn down or overwhelmed, let rest look different than you expected. You are not asked to be strong. You are invited to be honest. Bring your whole heart to Jesus. He is near in the wrestle, and His presence is where true rest is found.
Reflection
What would it look like to bring your struggle honestly to Christ today without fixing it or rushing it?
Prayer
Jesus, I am tired in body, mind, and soul. Teach me how to rest in You, even when my questions remain. Meet me in this hard season and carry what I cannot. Amen.
xo Carre
