Bye Bye Burden

If you have ever gone on a hike, you probably know what it’s like to carry supplies in a knapsack on your back. In this bag are numerous items such as food, water, and anything else you would need for ample survival. To ensure you are properly taken care of this bag starts to become heavy with supplies, tools, and gear for the journey.

Hikes are a challenging task. Rough terrain and the ever changing elements make every step a careful consideration. Your bag full of supplies also weighs you down adding extra beads of sweat to your forehead and more time sulking in exhaustion.

Although we often do not carry knapsacks every day, sometimes we can carry our past burdens with us. These burdens act out in guilt, shame, depression, anxiety, stress, anger…The list can go on and on. Much like the hike it is easy to grow weary carrying all these things. Sometimes we assume that these negative characteristics are essential to our lives because they have become so well pronounced and ingrained that they feel normal to hold on to. As they become so well established life’s terrain becomes a little rockier and a little more unsettling and this situation becomes more complicated and strenuous to navigate. The direction on the map you were once following has suddenly lead you in a direction with no real finish line for rest.

As a believer in Christ we must take Jesus’ death and resurrection seriously. This means that we have the gift of also benefiting into this new resurrected life that walks in sync with Him. These synchronized steps walk in peace, freedom, and liberation. Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew, “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 at heart. For my yoke is easy to bear and the burden I give you is light,” (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus is always ready for you no matter the situation; past or present.

These confirmations of this freedom in Christ have a repetitious theme on passing these cumbersome issues to the Lord. For instance, “Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the Godly to slip and fall,” (Psalm 55:22). As well as, “The Lord hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles,” (Psalm 34:17). And finally, so humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honour. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you,” (1 Peter 5:14). In order to hang on to freedom, we must first let go of burdens tying us down.

God’s love for us is truly memorizing as He cares for us so deeply that He would take our troubles and fret. Over time, the knapsack we once carried becomes more and more agile. The things we thought were essential to carry have disappeared and now we carry a hope in Christ.

And so, we leave you with this word,

“For I hold you by your right hand I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you,” (Isaiah 41:13).