Hope in the Calling: Rest for the Weary Mind

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

— Matthew 11:28

There is a particular kind of tiredness teachers know, one that doesn’t go away with a weekend away or an early bedtime. Do you remember your first year of teaching? I remember the nights of my first year- coming home each evening, falling asleep fully clothed on the couch without meaning to moments after I'd walk in the door. Waking up an hour later only because I wanted ice cream, eating it from the container like it was life-preserving medicine, and then going right back to sleep on the couch before later waking up to eventually shuffle into to bed. It was the kind of exhaustion that made even small decisions feel heavy; some nights the only decision I could handle would be the choice between whether I wanted leftover cheesy potatoes to eat or the remainder of the ice cream I started the day before! (Disclosure: this was well before the lure of social media and unrestricted amounts of Netflix that teachers are tempted by today!) Looking back, I realize it wasn’t laziness or lack of passion (although I certainly was not in my healthy era), it was the weight of learning, caring, adapting, and giving more of myself than I knew I had. That year taught me that teacher-tired isn’t solved by a nap. It’s the foggy, heavy kind that settles in during December when the days grow short, the expectations grow long, and everything in you feels pulled thin to the max. It’s exhaustion that lives not only in your body, but in your mind and spirit.

Jesus speaks directly into that place: “Come to me … and I will give you rest.” Not more stamina. Not more strategies. Not more self-care. Not more resilience. Rest.

If we’re honest, we all experience that kind of exhaustion on a regular basis, even well into our careers. Teachers today need that rest more than ever. Recent studies show that more than two-thirds of teachers find their work overwhelming and over half would not recommend teaching to a young person. A number of worldwide studies have shown that teachers are experiencing negative psychological conditions, including clinically meaningful levels of burnout, stress, anxiety, and depression. A quick Google search of "teacher mental health" can offer you any number of shocking statistics. While a number of factors contribute to this status, many of those factors are environmental, work-related factors. The work of teaching, guiding, planning, redirecting, noticing, problem-solving, comforting, advocating, and loving takes an often unseen, profound toll on the mind, body, and soul.

Moments like this remind us that exhaustion isn’t just about doing too much; it’s often about carrying it alone. Advent offers a different invitation. It invites us to stop striving long enough to hear the gentle words of Jesus again: “Come to Me.”

Not after you finish grading. Not once you finally get ahead. Not when the behavior issues settle down. Not when all your problems in ministry and your profession are solved. Now. As you are.

And here’s the grace-filled mystery: when Jesus promises rest, it’s not an escape from our calling, it’s renewal within it. He doesn’t dismiss our work; He stabilizes our soul so we can keep doing it with grace instead of depletion.

Sometimes rest looks like a pause long enough to breathe before class begins. Sometimes it is stepping outside for two minutes to remember you’re a person, not a machine. Sometimes rest is choosing not to finish every task tonight. And sometimes it is simply whispering a prayer under your breath between classes: Lord, hold my mind together when I feel it is pulling apart.

Jesus doesn’t ask teachers to work harder to earn rest. He offers it as a gift.

Consider it the most meaningful and powerful type of collective efficacy: you, with your Immanuel.

The God who came near in a stable to be with us still comes near to the tired teacher, the overwhelmed parent, the stretched-thin servant. He meets you not in your strength, but in your weariness, right where you need Him most.

Rest for the Weary Mind

Where might you schedule rest for your soul today? Not just planning time, not just prep time, but actual rest? A quiet moment in your classroom before students arrive? A pause in the parking lot before you drive home? A simple invigorating walk in the cold winter air? Five minutes with a hymn that soothes your soul? A prayer partner before you go about your daily work?

Prayer

Jesus, You see my weary mind and my overflowing days. Thank You for calling me to rest, not because I’ve earned it, but because You love me. Teach me to slow my mind and find renewal in You, even in the middle of my daily calling. Meet me where I am exhausted and give me rest that steadies my heart and restores my hope. Amen.