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“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.” –Matthew 11: 28-30 (NIV)

I’m sometimes surprised by how difficult life can be. I’m not only talking about the tragic life events that can sometimes occur, but even in day-to-day normalcy, life can pile its weight on top of you, hunch you over, bend you to your limit, try to make you crack. Sometimes it’s your circumstances, and sometimes it’s just the fact that you’re tethered to a dying world and dying flesh, both of which can’t stop sinning no matter how much you want them to. Envy, anger, lust, greed…anxiety, grief, depression, loneliness, helplessness—these things have the tendency to grip us by the throat until we feel we just can’t stand it anymore. But our burdens don’t have to crush us. We may still feel them pushing down on our backs even after deciding to follow Christ, but He lets us know (He always finds ways of letting us know) that He’s there. That we are never alone. That He will be our refuge and our rest.

Each piece in this issue carries a burden—a burden that can only be lifted by One.

Our writers and artists share truth here. Truth about everyday struggles, about carrying heavy loads, about feeling deep hurts—as one of our poets reminds us, creation is groaning. But the wonderful thing is, they also share truth about the way out. While our sin curses us to suffer here, we are never left without hope. As another of our poets puts it: “There is no way out. Then he makes a way.” Some of the people in these pages cling to that truth with all they got, sometimes as they wrestle to understand it, while others let the weight of their burdens drag them deeper into sin and the way of death.  

I want to thank the people who made this issue possible. First, I want to thank my husband, for being the wonderful, hardworking man he is. Also, Katie Yee, who once again was a huge help with submissions and editing, for all her hard work and for being a source of encouragement and discernment. Thank you to our readers, for your kindness and for keeping this journal going. Lastly, I’d like to thank the writers and artists who submitted this round, especially our contributors for this issue. We are blessed every reading period with an unbelievable amount of talent, and as Heart of Flesh grows it’s becoming harder to choose the right pieces for an issue. I think we chose some amazing work, created by some amazing people, and I’m so excited and honored to present the ninth issue of Heart of Flesh.

May this issue bless you, and point you to the One who blesses.

Thank you for reading.

Veronica McDonald
Editor/Founder

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Artwork: “Adulterous Woman and Jesus” by Veronica McDonald (2021). Oil pastel on paper. All rights reserved.