Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Jesus wants you. Make no mistake about it–Jesus extended his holy invitation for rest to you. You are not the grand exception in history that God cannot or will not love. You have not gone so far that he can’t or won’t forgive you. When Jesus spoke this invitation, he didn’t aim it at just the really good people or the really pretty people or the really churchy people. He aimed it at the spiritually broken. If you find yourself today nearing the end of your rope spiritually, if you find your stamina and desire to keep trying to earn God’s favor rapidly waning, then you’re exactly the kind of person Jesus was reaching out to. If you’re not spiritually worn out or if you somehow think you’ve got it all together before God, then just keep on going like you have been. Chances are brokenness will find you. But if you feel desperate before God and yet hopeless without him, then you’re exactly where God wants you.

Here’s a little exercise. I want you to make Jesus’ invitation personal. You know that he said, “Come to me all who are weary . . . .” The adjective all is beautifully used there, signifying that there are no limits to whom Jesus is willing to receive. But the broadness of the comment can still leave some feeling left out or wondering if it really applies to them. So let’s narrow it down. Here’s the statement again, with a minor change: Come to me _________ and I will give you rest. I want you to write your name in the blank. I want you to do it right now. Then, read it out loud a few times. Let God’s Spirit speak it to you. Come to me Tony, Come to me Sandy, Come to me Amanda, Come to me Carlos, Come to meBenjamin, Come to me Ajid, Come to me Trevor, Come to me Russ, Come to me Mohammed, Come to me Sylvia, Come to me Will. Come to me __________________. We could spend the rest of our lives filling in the blanks, because the beautiful and undeniable biblical reality is that the invitation is for every one of us. Including you.