Jesus Our Burden Bearer

I’ve never seen a time when so many people are so burdened. And it’s understandable for men and women are trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables and care for their children while everything around them seems to be falling apart. They are losing their house, their job, their kids to the world and drugs, their marriages. They are in so much debt they can’t make ends meet. And many in governments world-wide seem to be acting unwisely and making decisions based on securing their own futures rather than those of their nation’s. Nothing seems to make sense anymore. All the so called “tired-and-true” methods are no longer working. How does one cope with the enormity of such problems? How can one carry such loads?

It’s simple, really. We turn to Jesus!  Didn’t He say in Matthew 11:29 “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you shall find rest unto your souls.” And 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.”  Not only is Jesus able to carry our burdens, He wants to.

Like anyone who has lived a respectable number of years I’ve experienced burdens of my own: my husband did lose a job, we had to give up a home and change our lifestyle, there have been deaths in our family and serious illnesses, so I understand about burdens and don’t make light of them. I know expressions like “buck up” or “keep a stiff upper lip” or “time will heal all wounds” aren’t really helpful. Even a friend’s sympathy and hand-holding, while offering a measure of comfort, won’t really do anything to improve the situation.

Burdens are hard and stressful and take more than words and sympathy to handle. But one thing that works; one thing I’ve learned over and over again from experience is that no matter how difficult, no matter how heart wrenching the burden, God’s grace is truly sufficient. If we turn to Jesus He will supply our needs, He will carry that burden.  And when we think we can’t go any further, He’ll even carry us. He is the great I AM, the Alpha and Omega, and everything in between. Which simply means, He is all we could ever want or need. And while He carries our burden, He’ll give us the courage, wisdom and strength to see it through with Him. And that’s not all. He’ll even give us joy and peace in the midst of it. And that’s saying a lot in a world that has so little joy and peace even in the best of times. In the end, He truly makes us an over comer—a far better option that being left to our own devises where, more often than not, we’re prone to sink into confusion, self-pity and depression.

Be assured, Jesus is willing and able to be our burden bearer. The question is, will we let Him?

Until next week,

Sylvia