Quiet Times in the Minivan — His Rest in Our Rushing

Matthew 11:28–30   “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Raising children isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Some days feel like a marathon before our feet even hit the floor. Mornings are a blur of backpacks, breakfast, and “Where are your shoes?” Then comes the housework, errands, and the endless list of tasks that somehow multiply while the kids are at school. And when they return, the second shift begins—homework, dinner, baths, bedtime stories, prayers. By the time the house finally quiets, mom gets about fifteen minutes of stillness before exhaustion wins.

There was a season when homework felt like climbing a mountain with my middle son. He struggled deeply in elementary school. Many evenings ended in tears—his and mine. One night at the dining room table, after wrestling with an assignment he just couldn’t grasp, he broke down and whispered words that shattered my heart: “I’m so stupid.”

I felt helpless. I couldn’t fix it. I couldn’t make the assignment click. All I could do was close my eyes, breathe, and pray, “Lord, help me.” And that was enough. In that moment, His peace washed over me, and I sensed Him whisper, “Keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t give up. It will be worth it.”

I couldn’t see the “how,” but I trusted His promise. And God was faithful. The same child who once cried over homework graduated high school—and college—with a 4.0.

How often do we labor under the weight of parenting, carrying every fear, responsibility, and outcome on our own shoulders? How often do we forget that we have a God who invites us to come—just as we are—into His rest?

He is our Counselor. He is our Helper. He is our Wisdom. He is our Comforter through every season and in all things.

Parenting was never meant to be carried alone. The yoke becomes easy and the burden becomes light when we remember Who is carrying it with us.