Lay It Down
- Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
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We all have burdens, some of which are obvious and others which are hidden within our hearts—such as stress, anxiety, guilt, disappointment, fear, difficulties in the family, pressure relating to our ministry, or uncertainty regarding the future. The issue does not lie in the fact that we have these burdens but in the fact that we frequently attempt to bear them alone.
He never wanted us to have to shoulder all the burdens by ourselves; all He asks is that we “Come to Me”. Before asking us to do more, He first invites us to get closer to Him; and before asking us to carry His yoke, He offers to bear what is crushing us.
We sometimes continue to carry our troubles simply because we have got used to doing so; we tell ourselves things like “I can cope with this” or “No one else will ever understand”. However, the more prolonged this situation remains the greater the weight of the burdens becomes. Perhaps we could decide today to put those burdens into the hands of Jesus?
Handing our problems over to Jesus does not mean that our situation will suddenly improve; it only means that we will no longer have to face them by ourselves. The burden which previously had overwhelmed us now seems lighter since Christ is with us. His strength takes the place of our weakness, His peace conquers our anxiety, and His presence serves to remind us that we are never left alone.