Faith along the way

These past few weeks I’ve been thinking about burdens, those things we carry or bear with difficulty, those things that weigh us down and threaten to become more than we can take. Burdens are those weighty things that cause us anxiety, concern, sorrow, despair, strain, sleepless nights, tears, or even anger……and quite possibly many of these at once. What do we do with these burdens?

For me, it has been a process of more prayer than usual, more Scripture reading. I find the book of Psalms particularly helpful and encouraging. Many times, it is my “go-to” when I am struggling emotionally. Psalm 55:22 encourages us to cast our burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain us. David is in anguish in this Psalm. He is crying out to God. Brings me back to casting our burdens on the Lord and how do we do this?

To cast something means:

• To throw or hurl
• To fling
• To throw off
• To throw away
• To send forth

I must admit sometimes I definitely have felt like throwing something or someone (yikes)! I’m pretty sure that’s not what it means. Another passage of Scripture that comes to mind is Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus encourages us to come to Him with our heavy burdens and tells us He will give us rest. He is speaking of quiet, of refresh……Yes Lord, I could use some quiet and refresh, can’t you?

This scripture also tells us that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. OK, I like easy and light; tell me more. Accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior yokes us with Him; we are joined with Him. A yoke couples two things together. Think of two animals yoked together to lighten the workload, to help balance each other. Together with Jesus, life is much easier. We are not told that life as a Christian is easy, nor are we told we will never have problems or trials, or heartache. We are told that when we submit our will to His will and turn over our life to Him, He will help us, sustain us, comfort us, and always be with us. We are never alone-we are yoked with Him. We never have to bear a burden alone…. cast it…fling it…. upon Him. We are yoked with the One who gives us the sufficient grace we need for every occasion and the strength we need to get through those most difficult times.

I don’t have all the answers, but I do know the One who is my comfort and my help in times of need. I am learning to cast my burdens upon Him. It is my prayer for you if you are hurting or burdened down with a heavy burden right now that you find comfort in the One who will never leave you, will always love you, and will hear your cries and answer them. His name is Jesus.

Blessings to you,

Jackie