It feels as if the new norm in our world is to go day to day with an extra heavy load on our backs. You know, that heavy load of sadness for all the tragic events that have occurred lately, the heavy load of confusion at the decisions being made in our country and that heavy load of anxiety and stress for everything else we face each day.
Life is messy. The world is broken. Our burdens start to stack up pretty high.
They feel heavy as we trudge on and try to gain ground in this new “norm” of our lives. Thankfully, there is something, or rather someone, we can turn to in order to ease those loads we’re carrying around.
His name is Jesus and He doesn’t just want to make your load lighter/easier for you to carry, but He wants to carry them completely FOR you. All we have to do is lay them down before Him.
You Can’t Dispose What You Hold On To
It’s easy to complain and feel frustrated for the baggage and mess we feel is dumped onto our shoulders. I think we’re all guilty of questioning “Why me?” at some point in our lives. Positivity and hope are almost impossible when we feel crushed under the weight of so many heavy things.
I recently felt this way when so many of my family members tested positive for Covid. Four of them were hospitalized at the same time, and they all developed pneumonia. I felt helpless and if I’m being honest, a little scared of what could happen. My trust in God wavered, and my self-reliant human nature kept me holding tightly to all those burdens myself.
My prayers to God were coming regularly, but so was the anxiety and fear. I finally felt God whisper to me, “lay them down.” He was talking about those burdens I was carrying around my neck, and He was directing me to “lay them down” at His feet. Right there at the foot of the cross.
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Psalm 68:19
The Lord reminded me He would graciously carry the weight of my burdens. You see, none of us, no matter what circumstances we’re faced with, are meant to hold the weight of our burdens alone. God wants us to simply lay them down before Him, and He will gladly pick them up for us.
Find True Rest
If you’re feeling like me at all, you’re probably feeling very tired. The kind of tired that seeps down to your bones and leaves you feeling hollow. The kind of weariness that’s not physical (but, maybe that too), but emotional.
The only real remedy I’ve found for this fatigue is entering into the presence of God. Whether it’s reading His Word, praying or spending time in worship to Him, it helps turn over any burden we’re facing to the One who loves us unconditionally and knows everything we feel without us saying a single word. God can heal, transform and strengthen us in our times of need. He will give us the ultimate rest we’re searching for – rest for our weary and burdened souls.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
Continually Ease the Load
Don’t wait to come to God when you’re carrying so many burdens, you’re being crushed under their weight. As you start to feel even the slightest pressure and heaviness upon you, turn to Him. Even if you can’t name exactly what it is that’s bogging you down, lay it at your Father’s feet and allow Him to do the heavy lifting. He not only will, but desires to do this for us.
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Psalm 68:19
As the verse states, God “daily bears our burdens.” Not just sometimes, or when our baggage is bulging and maxed out. No, He will daily take on our burdens and give us hope, joy, contentment and peace in their place.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
It’s challenging for sure to go day-by-day and feel the weight of the world. There is so much heaviness around us because we live in a very broken world. The depth of evil and darkness are sometimes too much to bear. We have to remember though, that God is with us. He is with us each and every day, each and every step of every challenge and obstacle. He will carry the burdens we’re faced with and will give us true and lasting rest. We must simply let go and lay them down before Him.
