Life can be very heavy
sometimes. Carrying the responsibilities
and cares of this world can be exhausting.
The problem is it was never designed to be this way.
Matthew 11:28-30 - Come to Me, all you 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.”
Things to think about:
· Can you
imagine waving off a tow truck while pushing a dead car to the repair shop and
telling them, “I got it!”?
· How about unloading
a truckful of bricks from Home Depot and refusing to let your neighbor help - “I
got it!
o
Of course, these scenes are ridiculous (or are they?)
· Don’t we sometimes
find ourselves carrying more of our burdens than we should? Here are some of the more common ones I tend
to pick up:
o
Finances
o
Health concerns
o
Fractured relationships
o
Work problems
· There are
other ones too that are a bit harder to see but maybe even heavier:
o
Craving significance and purpose for our lives
o
Wanting acceptance from others
o
Not offering or accepting forgiveness
· Do any of
these loads ring true for you? Why do we sometimes refuse Jesus’ promise of His
easy yoke and light burden?
o
Are pride or stubbornness keeping you from receiving His free gift
of help?
· How do we
practically take up His yoke?
o
Prayer
o
Change in our attitude (renewing our minds) about who owns our
wellbeing
o
Asking a close friend for help
· For some of the
heavier loads, here are some suggestions:
o
Significance and Purpose
§ We don’t need
to seek significance and purpose from others, we have it in Christ
§ Ephesians
2:10 - For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
o
Acceptance
§ We don’t have
to measure up to anyone else’s standard.
§ Ephesians 1:7-8
- In him we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of
God’s grace that he lavished on us.
o
Forgiveness
§ We are free
of the guilt and shame we feel for our own shortcomings OR the folly of laboring
under the weight of the boulder of
bitterness when we have been wronged
§ Colossians
3:13 - Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a
grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
·
Ephesians
1:19 - His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the
same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead
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