Casting Your Burdens

I was once told that if someone wants to open up to me about a problem, and this problem didn’t directly involve me, it is sometimes better to turn away. Otherwise I could become emotionally burdened over something that isn’t my responsibility to worry about. I should take a step back and not discuss it, rather than run the risk of worrying or growing bitter.

Within the context of how our family works, this didn’t make sense to me. I have a tight knit family and we are all very open and honest with each other. At that time, my parents were seeking God for direction and their decision would effect our whole family. Rather than keep us in the dark about present circumstances, they chose to open up to us.  This is how our family has always worked, and it’s something I’ve always been appreciative and thankful for. It shows me how I can pray for my family. It brings us closer together. And as I watch my parents delve deep into the Bible and draw closer to God in hard times, seeking Him for all they do, it teaches me to do the same.

And yet someone was telling me it wasn’t my responsibility to even know about these things. It wasn’t sitting right in my spirit. In general terms, how could it be better to pretend someone’s problem didn’t exist, because I was afraid of worrying?

The next morning as I was journaling, I  decided to ask God what He thought about it. God, I wrote, do You bury Your head in the sand and ignore a problem because You don’t want to be burdened by it? As soon as I finished the sentence, Jesus’ words from Matthew 11 popped into my mind: “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus invites us to bring all our burdens to God. When we do, He will ease our weary hearts and give us rest.

I don’t want to live my life afraid of people’s problems. Everyone has problems, it comes with being human and it’s a fact of life. Ignoring them won’t make them disappear. I don’t want to turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to people who are so desperate for someone to hear them, to listen, to care. Yes, it is true that you can easily become burdened down by the problems of others. But God spoke to me that morning and said Daughter, you don’t have to be.

Crowds of people sought Jesus out for healing. Imagine the stories He must have heard, people with lifelong ailments, people who had been in pain for years…how it must have broken His heart to see these people He loved in such pain and brokenness! Yet instead of shrinking away, Jesus embraced it. Jesus responded in love. With compassion. He prayed.

Following Jesus’ example, we shouldn’t shrink away from the problems of others. We may not be able to offer any help or much advice, but we can be a listening ear. We can pray. We can point people to Christ, remind them of the truth of God’s Word. In turn, we need to follow Matthew 11:28 and hand everything over to God.

How?

We read in Matthew 7:24-27 about the wise and foolish builders. The wise man built his house upon the rock and when the rain came, his house stood firm. The foolish man’s house, which he had built on the sand, was swept away. Why? Because the foolish man hadn’t built his foundation on the solid rock.

Christ is our solid Rock. He needs to be our foundation for everything in life, the One we run to with every trouble and need, the One we praise for every joy. We need to trust Him for every single aspect of our lives, and when we do, we will have peace.

Isaiah 26:3-4 – “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”

It is the peace of God that guards our hearts and minds, that protects us from being overwhelmed with worry. We don’t need to try to guard ourselves, because God promises to do it for us…when we keep our eyes on Him.

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but instead by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Not only does prayer and thanksgiving activate peace as it says above, but we also find peace when we are obedient to God’s commands and do what He says.

Isaiah 48:18 – “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.”

Our hearts are burdened and in turmoil when we are not trusting God and trying to figure life out on our own. He is bigger than anything that may come our way. When we pay attention to His commands, our peace will be like a river. Ever-flowing, ever constant. A result of God’s goodness to us, and not our own efforts by trying to find peace in things of this world.

1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

We also shouldn’t forget that Jesus Himself said, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Jesus is our peace in a world overflowing with trouble. And we do not have to be afraid.

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Imagine the possibilities—if we relied on the strength and power and might of our God to face the giants in our lives. If we opened ourselves up to God and let Him use these experiences to teach us more about His character and His ways. When we exchange our worries for His peace and our strength for His, it won’t matter what happens. Whatever trouble befalls us, our family, or a friend, we can stand on Psalm 46:1-2a: “God is our strength, our ever-present help in time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear…”

As a Christian we are a part of a family—God’s family. Other believers, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are instructed in Galatians 6:2 to “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ.” We were never meant to carry our burdens alone; we need the help of our family. We need them to pray for us and remind us of the goodness of our God, because Satan wants us to forget. The enemy wants us to feel alone.

But together, a cord of three strands is not easily broken. Together, we can lift our burdens to the King of Kings, our Almighty God. As a family, we can learn what it means to walk by faith and not by sight. We draw on the strength of each other and bring praise to God. We take heart, not living in fear but peace, because Jesus has overcome the world.