Our Burdens

I would venture to say that in almost any or every conversation you have with someone these days, you will probably hear the words, “I’m good, just tired.” This seems to be so very common today. In saying this, I would be the first to admit that I have said these words, or better yet, I have felt these words. The question is, why are we so tired all the time? Is it because of the hours we work? Is it from a lack of sleep? I would dare say that a lot of our weariness comes from the stress of life.

The worries that are placed upon us many times are legitimate. We face things that are out of our control, and those things keep us awake at night. There is a myriad of things that could be listed. We worry about our jobs, paying the bills, will I find someone to love me, will we find a home we can afford, will there be a war, is crime taking over our society? These are just a few things that will make us worry, and in worrying, we will become tired and weary. The truth is that stress is a killer. It causes ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart attacks, just to name a few.

Sadly, we find this happening even in the church, among followers of Christ. Jesus understands that we are all guilty of trying to control things that we cannot control; it is our broken and fallen nature. That is why He tells us in Matthew 114:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus speaks a lot about worry, stress, and the burdens of life. In Matthew's gospel, chapter 6:25-27, Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives, our food, or our clothing. He then reminds us to look at the birds of the air and how the Father takes care of them, and then Jesus says, “Aren’t you worth more than birds?” 

The Lord tells us to come to Him, we don’t have to carry these burdens alone. We don’t have to carry them at all; that is our choice. We forget how much the Lord loves us and the value He sees in us. Maybe that is because we don’t value ourselves very much as humans.

Now we must also acknowledge that this coming to Jesus and laying down our burdens is not a one-and-done. We hand over one burden, and three more pop up like dandelions on a golf course. This is a daily, and sometimes hourly, command to come to Him. Jesus wants us to lay down our burdens and stress at His feet. Why? Because when we do this, we are proving our trust in Him to do what we cannot do. Do you trust Jesus to take care of you? He can and will. Trust Him today and cast those burdens at His feet. Let Him prove to you that He is still God, and everything is under His control, including us and our problems. Rest and sleep well.