The Answer To Your Burdens
The most human act of self-reliance is to live life as if all the pressure is on ourselves. We so often let negativity, in the form of both emotions and events, consume us. Many times I have put the burden of life on myself, not God. I share this because I am sure this is a common experience, whether it was as little as frustration or as powerful as suffering.
We all experience negative emotions - don’t pretend to be better than you are. You experience negativity, from discouragement to depression, and from bitterness to jealousy. Do not gloss over these emotions as something to be discounted, as if ignoring them will help you persevere. That is not how the son of God told us to live:
“Come to me, all 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)
Acknowledge your burdens, and then hand them over as God intended. God lifts burdens by putting them on his shoulders. He asks simply and intentionally for us to give our hardships and worries to him, that we might transfer the load and travel with the one who is qualified to carry them. It does not matter what kind of burden you are holding on your shoulders: God is here to help.
What are you holding onto your problems for? Jesus paid for them. Remember that he did not come to the world to condemn you, but to save you. Take Jesus at his word and give up your concerns to him. You may have something in your life weighing on you, even if it is so small that it only lasts a few hours of your day. Long or short, it was not intended to be carried by you. Give God your burdens in both prayer and action. Humbly come to him and offer your burden, and then live like it’s gone. Do not pretend or act falsely, but seek to live a life as if God actually took the burden off your shoulders. Lean into and trust the grace of God.
If you are able to let go of control of your burdens, you will experience the freedom that the Christian life has to offer. We do not practice this act of submission for the act itself, but for the freedom that it brings. As Richard Foster wrote, “Our aim is the freedom, not the Discipline. The moment we make the Discipline our central focus we will turn it into law and lose the corresponding freedom.”
Practice submitting your burdens and purposes to the Lord, not for the act itself, but for the beautiful sense of freedom that comes as a result. God will carry your burdens, if only you will lay down your own way and trust him to do it.
