Put Down Your Burden

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Put Down Your Burden

What burdens are you carrying? Many of us have accepted God’s offer of salvation, but we won’t part with our burdens.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28 (NLT).

A man was walking down a dusty road on a hot, humid day. He was loaded down with a heavy backpack and carried a duffel bag in each hand. A pick-up truck came along. The driver stopped and called to the man, “Hop on. I’ll give you a ride.” The man got into the back of the truck.

Several miles down the road, the driver looked into his rear-view mirror and saw, to his surprise, that his passenger was still standing up holding onto both duffel bags. The heavy backpack was still strapped to his back. The man had accepted the ride but, for whatever reason, he hadn’t put down his burdens.

Aren’t we like that too? We’ve accepted God’s offer of salvation, but we won’t part with our burdens. We’re standing in the truck of faith letting God take us a distance but we won’t surrender our burdens. Perhaps the fault is with wrong teaching: We’ve been told that grownups must be tough. Or, it’s a matter of pride: I ought to be able to handle this on my own.

What burdens are you carrying? Jesus invites you,

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT).

Why does it become easy? Because Jesus gets under the burden with us and He carries the heaviest end.

Father, take this heavy burden from me. I don’t want to become bitter or full of self-pity. I trust You to work this out. If there’s something I need to do, show me. I want to be quick to listen and ready to obey. I want to bring joy to your heart.

by Helen Lescheid