10 Burdens Christian Women Can Lay Down for a Lighter, Freer Life
If you feel like you’re always running, always behind, and never able to rest—this message is for you.
The lounge room is overflowing with guests who have just arrived from out of town. You have spent days planning, cleaning, organising bed linens, and preparing the guest rooms. You’ve made multiple trips to the market to get everything you need for delicious meals. You’re tired, but excited that the Rabbi and his disciples have finally arrived. The kitchen is beginning to fill with the aroma of roasting lamb.
As you scan the list of final preparations, you glance over your shoulder to let Mary know what she needs to do next.
“Mary?”
Where has she gone? Doesn’t she know how much there is to get done? Doesn’t she understand how important this meal is?
Mary had snuck into the lounge, sitting at Jesus’ feet. Martha went to complain to Jesus, “Tell my sister to help me.” But Jesus didn’t tell Mary to go and help in the kitchen. No. He said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
As busy Christian women, we can relate to poor Martha. We know what it’s like to be worried and upset about many things.
Let’s be honest; there are a lot of things to be worried and upset about! There is so much to get done every day, and we never have enough time or energy. We are trying to take care of ourselves, look after our children, love our husbands, manage our homes, build our careers and businesses, all while trying to be a good daughter, sister, and friend. Not to mention a good Christian. Life is heavy, exhausting, and relentless. The ‘rest for your soul’ Jesus promised seems like a faraway dream.
Is this what life as a follower of Jesus is supposed to be like? John 10:10 Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. The NLT translates it ‘a rich and satisfying life’. The KJV calls it an ‘abundant life’. This is what Jesus promises: life to the full, a rich and satisfying life, an abundant life. That’s the kind of life I want!
One of my favourite verses is Matthew 11:28–30:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
So, why is there such a big gap between what Jesus promised and our lived experience? What are we getting so wrong?
This is my conclusion: We are carrying things Jesus never intended us to carry.
If you’re life is too heavy, if you are struggling under the pressure of everything you are juggling. If you would describe your life as ‘weary and burdened,’ then you are carrying burdens Jesus never intended for you to carry.
Jesus wants us to live freely and lightly. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
So, what are we carrying that Jesus never intended? What are some of the things we can lay down?
10 Burdens Christian Women Can Lay Down for a Lighter, Freer Life
1. The Burden of Busyness
Rest is not laziness; it’s obedience to Jesus.
I’m challenged by the Gunner Gundersen quote, “When work is an idol, rest will feel like sin.” We live in a world that glorifies busyness, distraction and productivity at all costs. Living slowly and resting regularly are counter-cultural. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can live slowly in a world going at breakneck speed. We can practise Sabbath in a world that never stops.
2. The Burden of Expectations
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
We live in a world that tells us that we can have it all—we can do anything we want. We look at all the wonderful opportunities available to us and feel an obligation to do them all. But just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. Rather, we can find our unique purpose and follow our dreams in a world that expects us to do everything.
3. The Burden of Worry
Trade anxious thoughts for God’s peace.
Worry is a normal response to a world full of hurt and uncertainty. But, out of all the Bible verses about worry (and there are hundreds), not one of them tells us it’s okay to worry. No. Jesus tells again and again, “Do not worry.” We can learn to control what we think about. We can trust God confidently with the concerns of our hearts and exchange our worried thoughts for peace.
4. The Burden of Physical Appearance
Your body is fearfully and wonderfully made.
We are constantly bombarded with messages that tell us all the things that are wrong with our bodies. But it doesn’t have to be this way. God made our body, and it is wonderful. We can learn to love our bodies in a world that worships youth and beauty.
5. The Burden of Limited Capacity
You cannot please everyone—and you’re not meant to.
You cannot make everyone happy. No matter how hard you work or how much you try, you will never be good enough for some people. And that’s okay. We can live within our limited capacity, at peace with the fact that we will never do enough to keep everybody happy.
6. The Burden of Guilt and Shame
Your sins are forgiven; God’s love is unconditional.
Our sins are forgiven. We do not have to earn God’s love. We don’t need to be held back or weighed down by the mistakes of our past. We can overcome our feelings of guilt and shame, living in the freedom of unconditional love and forgiven sin.
7. The Burden of Physical Possessions
More stuff doesn’t mean more joy.
The average American home has 300,000 items in it, and my guess is that Australians are fairly similar. That’s a lot of stuff to keep clean and organised, sorted, stored, insured and maintained. And, it is taking us a lot of time and mental energy to manage. We don’t need or use most of the things we own. We can live simply in a world that values excess.
8. The Burden of Church Expectations
Serving God shouldn’t cost your mental health.
I love the church, but sometimes there are so many programs and meetings that we are out every night of the week. Spiritual disciplines can become boxes to tick when they are not grounded in a vibrant personal relationship with Jesus. But it’s okay to say no, even to nice church people. We can be devoted followers of Jesus and contribute to His church without sacrificing our mental health and well-being.
9. The Burden of Suffering
Care for the hurting without carrying their pain as your own.
The world is suffering. Our families and friends are suffering, and we are not untouched. Our broken world is full of pain, and it is difficult not to be weighed down by it. But God is bigger than our pain, and the promise of eternity gives us hope every day. It’s not easy, but with God’s help, we can care for the hurting without drowning in their pain.
10. The Burden of Feeling Stuck
God can make a way where you can’t see one.
Often, we feel like we have no options; we get stuck in difficult seasons of pain. But our God is in the business of making a way when we can’t see a way. He did it for Daniel and Moses and Hannah and Joshua, and He can do it for you too. We can take control and change our lives. We can exit the world’s freeway to fake success and find the path Jesus has marked out for us.
We can lay our burdens down. But that is only the beginning of the process of experiencing the abundant life Jesus promised. The second part is just as important. It’s in verse 29:
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.”
We lay down our burdens, and we take up Jesus’ yoke. We can, like Mary, prioritise time spent sitting at Jesus’ feet. We can prioritise our relationship with Jesus over our roles and responsibilities. We can recognise that being with Jesus is more important than our to-do lists.
Jesus calls us to live in the reality of Matthew 16:24-25:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
The abundant life we all long for, the rest for our souls, the rich and satisfying life, is a fully surrendered life.
It’s denying ourselves our desire for success, to be important, admired, self-sufficient, and perfectionistic. We sacrifice our worries, fears, and uncertainties, our need for control, and our need to save everyone. We can put to death our longing for material wealth, comfort, self-indulgent luxury, and a designer shoe collection. We can sacrifice our pride, judgmentalism, unforgiveness, and bitterness.
And take up our cross.
This is where we find life to the full—a rich, satisfying, and abundant life. Jesus offers us peace that passes understanding. We can live in freedom and joy, with our sins forgiven, knowing the unconditional love of our God, looking forward to eternity in relationship with our Saviour.
We need to remember that whatever Jesus has in store for us is always infinitely better than what we will ever give up and surrender to Him. And while the world around us tells us that our appearance, our possessions, and our achievements will satisfy the longings of our souls, these things are temporary and only lead to the weary and burdened life that is killing us.
Let’s lay our burdens down and take up His cross.
Ask yourself today: What does Jesus want you to lay down? What are you carrying that Jesus never intended you to?
Are you ready to lay down your burdens for good?
If this post spoke to your heart, my book The Burdens We Carry takes these 10 burdens deeper, with more personal stories, biblical truth, and practical steps to help you finally live the abundant life Jesus promised.
You don’t have to keep striving under the weight of expectations, worry, and busyness. Jesus offers you peace, freedom, and rest for your soul—and this book will guide you there, one step at a time.
Order your copy today and begin your journey to living freely and lightly.
