Carrying Something You Shouldn't?

Then the woman left her water jar and went back to town.

John 4:28 

What would you do if someone knew your deepest darkest secret about your past?  Would you freak out? Would you feel embarrassed? Would you feel relieved? Fact: we all have a past and not all of it is good.  Yet we tend to carry the burden of fear that someone will discover that we aren't perfect and we aren't as good as we want people to believe.  

 Remember the story where Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well?  Jesus broke through the prejudice whereby Jews and Samaritans did not speak to each other or interact with each other when He asked the woman for a drink of water.  The fact that the woman came to get water in the middle of the day revealed that she was considered an outcast by her own people.  

Jesus revealed her painful past to her and she said He was a prophet.  When Jesus told her that He was the long awaited Messiah, she left her water jar and ran back to the town telling everyone about Jesus.  If you think about it, her water jar represents the burden of her past she'd been carrying for so long.  When Jesus revealed it to her, she didn't have to carry that burden any longer...she had been freed from that burden.

How about you?  Are you carrying the burden of the past or have you been freed from that burden through Christ? 

News We Need To Hear

The Lord deserves praise!
Day after day he carries our burden,
the God who delivers us.

Psalm 68:19 

 

Maybe you were like me growing up.  We attended the First Baptist Church of Don't.  SO many rules and regulations about how to look; how to act; what to say; to whom to say it; when to speak; when not to speak; what to read; what not to read; where to go; where not to go; and on and on and on.  

 

I felt, as a teenager, that church was a bunch of rules which was a huge burden.  AND I felt, because God's made them, then God was a burden as well.  The more I grew, the more I resented it.  I was tired of carrying so much guilt and anxiety. Constantly asking for forgiveness from God.  Hardly a day went by that I didn't feel like a complete failure and drug that heavy burden of guilt everywhere.

It wasn't until much later in life that I learned how wrong I was.  God isn't the burden.  God carries our burden.  We have to learn to let our burden go. 

I was watching a National Geographic program and found that in Indonesia, farmers will trap monkeys by putting their favorite food in a jar.  The opening of the jar is just big enough for the monkey to slip his hand inside.  But when the monkey grabs the goodies, he can't get his hand back out and becomes trapped.  One farmer put our struggle so perfectly when he said, "All he has to do to be free is let go of his burden."

Isn't it time for us to let go of our burden and let God set us truly free?

Load Too Heavy Yet?

Then Jesus said, “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, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 

 

 Way back when I was in the Army, our diabolical Drill Sergeants had pounded into us that when one wins ALL are winners and when one fails ALL pay the price.  And guess what we finally figured out?  When one of us won, that meant the rest of us had failed and we had to bare the punishment.  I told you they were diabolical!

 

In order to teach us teamwork, they had a telephone pole which we were expected to pick up and carry with us throughout the "Day of Punishment."  When it was chow time, we had to either eat in shifts or learn to eat one handed, because our friend the Pole was not permitted to touch the ground.  Thankfully, our platoon happened to be quick studies and it didn't take us long to learn to work together as a single unit.

 

There are no words which could possibly express the relief when we finally got to "Put The Pole To Bed." Nor are there words which can accurate describe the aching muscles we experienced for the following three days.  I found it rather odd that our Chaplain chose the Sunday of after we put the pole to bed to share with us Matthew 11:28-30.

 

Here I am, years later, remembering that enormous burden we carried and remembering the burden of the sins I carry (my past, my present, my actions, my words, my thoughts), that pole cannot compare to the burden of sin.  Yet, Jesus invites us to "Put The Pole To Bed" and take his lightweight yoke (love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; Love your neighbor as yourself).  Which would be easier to carry?

We're Hoarders!!!

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead

Philippians 3:13

I recently had to move from my desk to a cubicle at work.  During the packing up of all my stuff, it hit me like a box of books (quite literally a box of books), I had accumulated WAY too much stuff.  Thus, the paring down began, before the Hoarders television crew arrived.

Thinking about this for a bit, I also began to realize how much emotional, spiritual, cognitive hoarding I had done.  When I started thinking about it, I realized that there was a LOT that I needed to let go of, in order to run the race God has set before me with any hope of success.  The more I thought about it, I began writing down some of the baggage I had been hauling around.

     *   Trying to be perfect for others so they will think I'm "holy"
     *   Being angry for something someone said about me.
     *   Guilt for not being able to be everywhere at once.
     *   The stress of wanting to learn more to help others, while I'm trying to help others.
     *   Feeling like I'm not, nor will ever be, "good enough."
     *   Fear of saying or doing something stupid at the most inappropriate time.
     *   The failures my life has been littered with.

The list actually got quite extensive and specific, but my point is, I needed to let it go.  Let God have it and trust Him to deal with it.  

Burdened?

The Lord deserves praise!
Day after day he carries our burden,
the God who delivers us.

Psalm 68:19

 

If you have ever served in the military: first, Thank You for your service; second, you know what it is to have to carry your gear with you everywhere you go.  Not only do you have to carry your rifle, ammunition, and cleaning kit.  Then you must add to that your rations for the mission, change of clothing (especially socks), water, shelter, any specialized gear you will require, any personalized items you wish to carry, and the list can be endless.  So you'll understand when I say, that's one heavy burden to have to log around every step of your mission. I can remember the BEST part of a field training exercise was the moment when you got to drop your rucksack and relax for a few moments.  

 

The law enforcement officers I get to work with have much the same issue. They have to wear ballistic vests (which do not breathe, by the way), their gear, the notebooks, pens, ammunition, weapons, personal gear and they have to take this with them every step of everywhere they go.  Every once in a while, when they let me ride with them, I have the opportunity to help carry something for them and the look of gratitude (momentary though it may be) is amazing.

 

But think about this, we carry with us, every step of our lives, our daily burdens. Concerns about family; calculating how much we have left until payday; wanting to be there for your children's special moments; wanting to have some time to just enjoy; wondering about your family's safety while you're away; job pressures; extended family pressures; trying to save for, plan for, and enjoying vacations (we go so much and do so much on vacation that we often forget to relax); and the list goes on and on.

 

If we remember, God's got us.  Whatever we struggle with, God's already provided for it.  Whatever our concern, God's already dealt with it.  Perhaps not the way we wanted or expected, but always, ALWAYS for our good.

 

Too Tired? Too Weary?

Come to me and I will give you rest—all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke. Wear my yoke—for it fits perfectly—and let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls; for I give you only light burdens.

Matthew 11:28 

 

You've seen the look.  Perhaps you've seen it in others.  Perhaps you've seen it in the mirror.  The deep-set eyes rimmed with shadows, the energy drained out of every pore of skin, the distant gaze of the soul weary.  It comes from fighting to do what's right against the onslaught of the apathetic or those who are just determined that what is right is not going to happen.  It's the look we have when we have been hammered by life's situations for so long that we are wondering if another breath is worth taking.  We've worn the mask of "everything's okay" for far too long.

 

We need a break.  We need a rest.  We need time to be restored and recharged.  We need to be able to laugh again.  We need time to play.  We need to remember what Happy truly feels like.  Yet the toil continues without respite.

 

Look carefully at the words of Christ: "Wear My yoke - for it fits perfectly - and let Me teach you."  We struggle when we are trying to wear a yoke that doesn't fit us.  What happens if you wear shoes that are too tight?  Your feet hurt terribly and walking becomes difficult.  What happens if you wear shoes that are too big?  They rub your skin until blisters form and walking becomes difficult.

 

We have talked about the curse we have brought on ourselves called "Busyness."  The curse of busyness also brings the curse of an ill-fitting yoke. This is not the yoke that Jesus intends for us to wear.  Jesus intends for us to wear the yoke that fits perfectly which is found in relationship with Him.  And when we have relationship with Christ, we will experience Isaiah 40:31:

 

"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint."

 

Tired of being weary? I am.  

Time To Actually DO Something!

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
“Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.
Matthew 14:27-32 

We hear it frequently...."I can't."  I hear it quite often from people who CAN but just want someone else to do it for them.  

Children are very good at this little game:

     Parent: Help me carry the groceries into the house.

     Child: I can't!  I am already doing something.

Sound familiar?  You see, we use "I can't" in place of "I don't want to" with astounding regularity.  And the truly sad part of this, is instead of holding the "I can't" accountable, we just sigh and do everything ourselves because "I don't want to" start an argument.

Here's an eye-opener for you: Almost every miracle Jesus performed, He required the recipient to DO something.  When Peter wanted to walk on water, Jesus didn't magically transport him out of the boat, He told Peter to DO something!  

Jesus told Peter "Come" which meant Peter had to:

•  gather the courage within himself, 
• step out of the boat, 
• TURN LOOSE OF THE BOAT, 
• ignore the raging storm around him,
•  and walk.

In Mark 2:1-12, a paralyzed man was lowered through the roof of a house by his friends.  The man was paralyzed, yet Jesus told him in verse 11:

• stand up
• pick up your mat
• go home

You'd think, because the man was paralyzed, Jesus would simply take pity on him and not expect anything from him.  Taking pity on someone, and you might not like this but it's true, means you have GIVEN UP on that person!  Having Compassion means you are willing to help but you expect effort from them in return.

 

We see this quite often from those who want you to give them ______ (housing, food, money, insert your favorite "help me request") without any effort on their part being expected or required.  It might sound harsh, if we were not supposed to actually put forth any effort, God would have created the Universe to revolve around us and everything on the Earth would be so easy, that we could lay around in our floatie chairs and do nothing!

 

People actually make it their life's mission to seek pity from others so they don't have to DO anything for themselves!  And many of us will sacrifice everything we have (life savings, time, effort, relationships, you name it) so the pity seeking person will not be inconvenienced by actually being expected to DO anything for themselves.  

 

1. Helen Keller - was born deaf AND blind, yet learned to overcome her disabilities to become an inspiration to others.
2. Tom Dempsey - was born without toes on his right foot and without fingers on his right hand, yet on November 8, 1970 he kicked the game winning 63-yard field goal for New Orleans against Detroit.
3. Stephen Hawking - has become paralyzed due to motor neurone disease and can now communicates using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device, yet is an author, lecturer, and professor.

We hear about marathon runners who use prosthetic legs.  We hear about blind mountain climbers. We hear story after story about people who decided that they wanted to DO instead of receive pity.

 

Here's my point: If Jesus expected those He helped to DO for themselves (thus, removing their excuses) who are we to do otherwise?  

 

Weighed Down?

Worry weighs a person down;
    an encouraging word cheers a person up

Proverbs 12:25

Prepare to gasp out loud...I confess I am NOT a fan of the Rolling Stones!  I know, I know, but it's the truth.  I just don't care for their music.  Although, they did release a song WAY back when music was actually recorded onto vinyl records, called "Beast of Burden."  I thought it appropriate to coincide with today's photo. And then I began thinking, which my bride tells me must be very painful for me.  

For the most part, we are all beasts of burden.  We try to carry all sorts of loads: personal relationships; family relationships; professional relationship; finances; buying food, clothing, shelter and transportation; trying to do the job to the best of our ability (and hoping someone notices); trying to make a life, help others, and move ahead, and on and on.

We struggle!  We get frustrated!  We get tired!  We get BURNED OUT!  And then we give up.  Why? Because we are trying to carry it all alone!  Worry, stress and anxiety are burdens we are not meant to carry, yet they are the ones we cling to more than any other burden.  Why is that?  I can tell you that I am guilty of that too.  I cling to these burdens because I feel if I don't do it, it won't be done and I will lose credibility.  

And guess what I'm learning?  That God didn't create just me!  God doesn't expect me to handle everything!  God doesn't want me to carry unnecessary burdens!  If God made me responsible for everything then God isn't God and doesn't love me.  But because He DOES love me, He brings people into my life that can help and that I can help.

Remember: A shared burden is half as heavy, a shared joy is twice as bright!

Don't wait until you are so frustrated that you want to throat-punch the next person who talks to you, start right now building the relationships that will help share your burdens AND your joys!