Do you really enjoy walking around with burdens on your shoulders?
Friends, do you have any burdens that you carry around with you? My apologies for starting with such a direct question – but I wanted to get you thinking. This week I discovered that I have had some burdens on my shoulder for a while… and as I wondered how to get rid of them, I remembered that the Bible has some insights on burdens! Let us take a look below.
1. Jesus wants us to hand over those burdens
Does it feel nice walking around with a burden on your shoulder, having something to complain about all the time, and having the same thoughts running through your head all day long? Not at all! That is precisely what a burden does to you and me, it takes over our minds, hearts, and lives! We end up living for this burden, and with every waking thought, we make it grow bigger and BIGGER!
Psalm 55:22 “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” (NLT)
Here is another verse referring to burdens as worries and cares.
1 Peter 5:7 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (NLT)
Did you know that God cares for you enough to take over whatever is bugging you so that you can have peace? The first verse says, “He will take care of you,” and the second one states, “he cares about you.” Think of the process of handing over your burdens as an exchange – hand over your worries and God hands you his peace.
Dear friends, we (me included) need to learn to hand over our worries, cares and concerns to the Lord. Handing them over to him is a sign of trust in his power to handle whatever is of concern to us. Not handing them over to him, however, is a sign that we do not trust him enough to let him take care of what is important to us. One last thing – once you hand them over, do not take them back!
2. Jesus wants us to go to him for rest
Matthew 11:28 “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (NLT)
I can just imagine how the Lord watches us walk around day by day with ‘little rocks’ on our shoulders. These little rocks could be relationship issues, financial issues, family issues, work issues, personal issues, etc. Did you know, however, that if you carry a burden for weeks on end, it will begin to feel heavier and impossible to deal with?
This is the point where the Lord says, “Come to me.” He already knows what is worrying us, and how to deal with it. That is why he promises rest if we go to him when we are tired of our loads! Our loving Father does not delight in seeing us drag around things that he can easily handle in a flash! God, therefore, asks that we go to him and hand over those burdens, and once we are free of them, we feel rested and relaxed knowing that he will sort everything out.
I need to point out something here – for God to actually take over your burdens, you have to GO to him and HAND them over to him. The initiative to be free of these burdens must come from you.
3. Jesus wants us to put aside burdens that stand in the way of our relationship with him
Some burdens stand in the way of our relationship with God, the most common ones being sin and unbelief. With these two burdens standing in our way, there is no way we can enjoy deep fellowship with the Father.
Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (NLT)
Can you imagine running a race with two-kilogram weights strapped to each leg? That is exactly the way burdens behave – they act as weights on our legs, slowing us down, and making us think twice about completing the race. If you and I intend to complete this race, therefore, we have to get rid of those weights. After all, they are not helpful in any way!
Friends, is there any burden standing in the way of your fellowship with God? Perhaps you have not been able to trust in him the way you should, or there is something you did that only you know about, and you need to confess it to him. Whatever that burden is, it is not worth hanging on to at the expense of your relationship with God. Jesus asks that you hand it over to him, and in return, you will experience his peace and rest.
Let me conclude with the verses below that picture a burden-free life in God’s presence.
Psalm 23:1-3 “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” (NLT)
Have a burden-free week!
Hi, everyone! As always, I would love to hear from you. Let me know what stood out for you in this article, and what comments you may have. If you loved the article, please share it with your friends. See you next week! Alison