“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28, KJV).
Jesus’ invitation helps me to understand my own story of restlessness. The verse speaks life to me because of the steps I took to experience rest personally, and the rest I invite others in crises to experience in my clinical ministry practice.
When my mother gave birth to me, she abandoned me to my grandmother because she was ashamed to hold a child with a withered left hand in a culture of honor and shame. I grew up not knowing my biological parents until I was about 14 years old. I recall how I was moved around to live with uncles, brothers and church members in my village. When I was around 16 or 17 years old, I met an American Baptist missionary couple who taught me to speak and write English.
In what can be seen by many as a faith-destroying time, stories of answered prayer and God’s love continue to shield me, protect my faith and remind me that God still exists and is bigger than life itself.
Story by Jenevieve Lettsome & V. Michelle Bernard / Cover photos by Brad Barnwell
