“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden,
and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
I woke with a headache, the kind that laughs at Tylenol, and knew it would be a long day. I pushed through my exercise routine and Bible study. But after the first round of my morning walk, I almost packed it in. My head pounded as I trudged up the driveway. Writing deadlines pressed on my shoulders. I was tired just looking at the weeds in the flower bed.
A rustle in the grass by the fence and the flash of a white tail interrupted my worrisome thoughts. A young doe, startled by either my footsteps or my gloomy expression, skittered between two pine trees. There she halted and turned my way, then held still while I took several pictures.
Energized, I decided to walk another lap. When I reached the driveway again, I checked the glade where the deer had been. To my surprise she still lay there, resting on a cool, shady patch of dirt covered with a soft carpet of pine needles. I unzipped the camera case, snapped pictures of my new friend, and set off on the final lap of the morning.
When I returned for the last time, I felt the deer watching me before I saw her, still resting in the same quiet place. Why wasn’t she afraid of me? What calm possessed her and allowed her to rest when I tromped by?
Our gazes locked, and her still, brown eyes filled the air with peace. I chided myself. If Bambi’s mother can rest in the presence of a harried, headachy woman, shouldn’t I be able to rest in the shadow of the Almighty? After all, I’ve known Him a lot longer than she’s known me. We studied one another’s faces for a few seconds more. I was the first to turn away.
My headache was as insistent and urgent as ever, but a calm invaded my heart as I opened it to the One waiting in the cool, shady recesses of my soul. My weariness evaporated and my burdens lifted as there, in His presence, I found rest and strength for the long day ahead.
