The Burdens We All Bear

Life has a way of often throwing us many challenges. Some of these are just in the day to day short term things. Some challenges though, come at us as long term issues that slowly build a head of steam until they become unavoidable and often quite destructive.

My mind has been swimming with challenges coming at me for quite some time now. As some of you know, this past year has been eventful. It was one that both was both a capstone on the previous 24 plus years working in a stressful J.O.B. (just above broke) and a line in the sand that marks a new beginning where I am finding may way as a new business owner.

However, lest you get confused and tune me out, you must know that this post is not one to toot my own horn and bore you with me trying to sell you something. This post is far, far away from that. So, please read on.

Ask yourself if you agree with the following:

           “We all bear a burden or burdens of some sort from time to time. And, these burdens often weigh us down to the point where they are so absorbing that they paralyze us and prevent us from truly living.”

I am not a magician, nor am I a wizard. I cannot magically see into your life nor can I predict what direction any of our lives will take. The only certainty that I can give you is this, that life is uncertain and full of surprises. If you are like me at all I bet you can think for just a few moments and you too will come up with at least a small list of things that weigh on your heart these days.

I am not writing this to bring you down though and I do not want you to go away from having read this and be even more burdened.

Instead, I want you to realize that if you (like myself) confess to be a follower of Christ, then you have a ready and waiting confidant and intercessor that is just waiting for you to call out to Him for help.

You see, we have this Savior and He is no distant aloof and unconcerned God. On the contrary, because He lived here on Earth with us, breathed the same air, walked in this same fragile shell we call a body. He is well acquainted with our challenges and burdens. He is in fact sympathetic to what we experience and how hard it can be to stand in the storms of life.

Just yesterday, I was at our church and heard a special speaker. You may or may not have heard of this man who was once a highly awarded professional baseball player. He explained how he did not know or acknowledge God and lived only for himself. He had reached the bottom in his life after all of the misbehavior and lack of concern for both himself and others. It was only when the one person he loved the most said that she would no longer be a part of his life if he would not change and follow Christ that he finally woke up and truly looked in the mirror. His name is Daryl Strawberry. Understand that it was not his celebrity that made an impression on me yesterday; it was his humble, down to earth, and simple message that spoke to me. He reminded everybody at service yesterday that we must crucify (his word was kill) our old self and live out our lives as our new self, whose identity finds its existence and identity in Christ!

So where am I going with this? Did I lose sight of my topic regarding our burdens?

No, I did not.

You see, too often we over-complicate things. We over analyze our life and circumstances. We miss the simplicity that Christ calls us to. He asks us to place the yoke of our burdens on His shoulders. Not completely mind you, but to instead do as He asks us and to share them with Him. He asks us to see Him as the lead Ox on a team, with Him as the older and more experienced one who we can learn from. So our burdens are not gone, but are now lighter and the solutions come for us because we are following the lead of one who has walked in our human shoes and understands what it takes for us to make it through our valleys. We walk beside Him and face all that comes as a team.

What does not kill us makes us stronger. Truly.

We are never alone and we do not have to despair because He has already said that He will never leave or forsake His children.

We will always have cares and troubles this side of eternity. Our world is a fallen place and we are now surrounded by more skepticism, more unbelief, more acceptance of sin, and more despair than ever. Unless you bury your head in the sand and cover your eyes you cannot miss the often ugly things that are going on around us.

But, as followers of Christ, we know that this world is passing away and the Earth will one day be renewed. Judgement will be justly administered by the only one who has the right to hand it out.

He has placed this eternal light in our hearts that is fueled by love. His love.

The world cannot extinguish His light. It can try to rob us of it and it can try to destroy us when we don’t give in but once we are adopted into Christ’s family we will never be abandoned.

So know this today. No matter where you are in your life. No matter what circumstances weigh down your heart. You have an advocate and friend. In fact you have more than just one friend. You have Christ if you have accepted Him as your savior, but you also have many brothers and sisters in your adopted family.

You can reach out to Jesus and share your burdens with Him and you can also come alongside some of the rest of us for help too.

Don’t face your burdens alone anymore. You simply do not have to.

Reach out to your family today. We’re here for you.

In Christ,

Mike Meehan

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Matthew 11:29 – 30

…29"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. 30"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."