Lessons from the Gospels 8 – Burdened
I am tired, sweet sisters. My job is currently very busy with opportunities that I, as director of sales, am tasked with turning into clients. I have a lot going on at church with teaching opportunities and events, kids classes, blogging and SOS. I’ve been traveling for work and for pleasure. Family birthdays and anniversaries, getting together with friends, and babysitting grandkids. Add to those good things the starting of a new entrepreneurial business venture and am training for a 5k.
I am very much over 21 and I don’t last as long or spring back as fast as I used to. But these are sweet “burdens” that I enjoy bearing, even though they tire me out. These are physical “burdens” that actually feel light to me due to the joy I have in them.
You know what wears me out more than those activities? The emotional and mental stress of the suffering of the world – from friends and family facing health, financial or interpersonal issues to the various wars, depressing and unnecessarily adversarial political environment, famine, prejudice, abuse and more going on in the world around me. These are too much for a human to bear and I sometimes ask God how He can look down on the earth and see it ALL (He sees so much more than I can), and not just send Jesus back right now!
You know what is not a burden? My relationship with God.
Matthew 11:28-30 [NLT] 28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."
When Jesus calls us, He calls us to “light duty”. The Greek work translated “easy to bear” in the New Living Version above is translated and just “easy” in the King James, and it means “fit, fit for use, useful, good, virtuous or manageable”.
Something that is fit for use or useful hardly seems like it should be called a burden. God does ask us to carry a load, but it is a light load, and easy load.
We are not asked to carry the guilt or debt of our own sins. Those were pinned to the stake with Jesus.
We are not asked to carry the mental burdens of this world. Those Jesus promises to hold for us.
We are not asked to carry the burden of trying to save others. God does the calling in His own time.
We are not asked to carry the burden of “pay back” and revenge. Revenge-taking can be exhausting, and God offers to take that burden off of us. [Romans 12:17, 19] How much more peaceful would this world be without individuals or nations seeking revenge or to “get their own” back?
Matthew 11:28-30 [NLT] 28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."
The burden He asks us to bear is light. And we can think of it in two ways. (1) It is light as the opposite of heavy. Not so much to ask of us. (2) It is to BE the light in the world. [Matthew 5:14]
Our “light burden” sweet sisters is to be the light of this world - light that shines this suffering world toward God. Light that brings hope and happiness. Light that brings the warmth and comfort of peace rather than conflict.
Our churches should be a haven of peace and joy in this world so void of both. They should be places where the world-weary souls can come to find rest from struggle, doubt, gossip, ladder climbing, etc.
Our relationships should, to the best of our abilities, be sewn in peace. [Romans 12:18] We should be the people who do not “bring the drama” to our workplaces.
Why? Because we follow Jesus who healed people, taking away that burden. We follow Jesus who lifted the burden of adherence to all the extra things the leaders had added to the perfect law of liberty. [James 1:25] Our congregations and 501c3 organizations should not be places that add to the law what are really just the man-made burdens of “tradition” or opinion.
He asks us to help others who are burdened by sin – NOT to add to their burdens with opinions and rituals. [Galatians 6:1-2]
I know that Matthew 7:14 says the way that leads to life if difficult, but that is not because it is a heavy burden. That is because we, as humans in a world led by Satan, struggle against the good way, the peaceful way. That is because we, as humans in a world led by Satan, too willingly take on the burden of sin and its consequences.
God and Jesus offer us peace, hope, a future. We know God’s plans are for exactly that. [Jeremiah 29:11]
We bear the “burden” of being the beacons of peace, light, and hope in this world, and of spreading that message of a beautiful, bright future out into the world.
That is no great burden to bear.
I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org