‘Farmer Jesus’ – Head out to the barn and talk with Him 

By Roxanne Drury 

Life is busy. I do not have to tell you that! Practically every single person I know has the same lament: “I am waaaaay too busy! I have too much going on!” Even in the summertime when we could have been relaxing and just taking a break, we found ourselves overbooked and overly busy trying to get “it” all in. What is “it” anyway? 

Today I find myself at home, alone, Cool! This is going to be such a nice, relaxing day. I decide to start off with a little exercise, get the blood pumping, and get my steps in for the day; so I hook up the dog to go for a leisurely walk through our lovely, quiet neighborhood. 

Of course, Daisy has to “go”. Yes, I always have doggie bags with me. However, the doggie bags I recently bought and tied to the leash were defective – SURPRISE! (Exasperated sigh goes here.) They were not sealed on the sides or the end. Just really cute sheets of plastic and not very helpful. So, after our walk, I had to go back and pick up the ‘you know what’ with a real bag. My conscience won’t let me just leave it there. 

Moving on… When I got home, I sat on the side of the tub to take my shoes off and slipped off the side of the tub, landing on my tailbone. Ouch! How did I even do that? 

Next on the agenda: making dinner for some dear friends. I thought I had everything I needed. Nope. So I hop in the car to go get sour cream and flour tortillas only to find when I get home that I already had both. (Seriously?) Why didn’t I double-check in the garage fridge? 

I need a drink! No, not that kind of drink…a drink of water…I need a drink of water! So I grab the bottle off the counter and look forward to being refreshed; I gingerly place the water bottle to my lips and tilt it, awaiting the cool refreshment and…low and behold, I haven’t taken the top off the bottle. Duh! 

When goofy things like this start happening to me, I know I am very near the brink of something…like maybe I am about to self-destruct. More than likely, my brain is on overwhelm by being too busy. Sometimes it is trying to sort things out and is just distracted. At any rate, I have too much processing going on in my brain and it just keeps going and going and going, thinking and thinking and thinking, and this wreaks havoc. Unlike the Energizer Bunny, however, my batteries do run out. I don’t like it, but it’s true. Do your batteries run out, too? 

Sometimes we find ourselves in “Airline Mode” – which means “overbooked”. Too much going on, too much planned, and absolutely no time to just sit for a minute. Being on the go all the time can be so exhausting. 

Next comes the good news. 

There is hope for those of us who get overwhelmed and are burdened with weariness and confusion, who are just too busy at times and our batteries begin running out. His name is Jesus. So today, in the remainder of my home alone time – not to be confused with the movie of the same name – I pulled out my Bible and landed in Matthew. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 NLT 

The yoke of Jesus here is meant as a spiritual aid. When we are in “Airline Mode”, it is our very spirit, our soul, that is tired, distracted, overwhelmed, busy, or confused and working overtime. The function of a yoke was to couple the oxen to help with the farmer’s work, the oxen working in tandem, side by side together with the farmer, making the work lighter and easier. Taking on the yoke of Jesus couples us with Him to lighten our burdens. 

“Come to me” is an invitation to come to Jesus so that He can teach us how to find rest for our souls. The farmer knows that if he has a good pair of oxen and they work together, his work will be easier. If we work, think, and play or even spend time at home alone in the presence of the Savior, the Bible promises our burdens will be made easier and lighter. In essence, if we submit all of the busyness, confusion, distraction, and weariness to Him by taking on His yoke of gentleness, humility, and rest, we will find rest for our own souls. 

Overwhelmed? Tired? Confused? Too busy? Head out to the barn and talk to Farmer Jesus about it. Learn from Him how to find rest for your soul. After all, even God rested! Just sayin’. 

Roxanne Drury is a wife, mother, grandmother, and retired Christian preschool teacher who loves the Lord and His Word. She has served the Lord in children’s ministry for over 45 years and is currently on staff at Rockharbor Church in Meridian. She has written a book that she calls “a God-inspired book for little girls” and, recently, a devotional book and group study guide on Psalm 23. She may be reached at [email protected].