Burden-Bearing

What kind of burdens are you carrying today? Finances, health, work, family cares, children—they’re all burdens we take on, thinking we have to work out all the problems and find the solutions.

Jesus tells us, “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30 CEV). While these verses primarily refer to the burden of guilt and shame over sin and our inability to release that burden on our own, a secondary meaning applies to the burdens we take on ourselves—by not trusting God’s sovereignty in every area of our lives.

Several times in scripture, we humans are compared to sheep. Sheep are not burden-bearing animals. You don’t see shepherds loading them up like mules, camels, and horses. Neither are we required to take on burdens. The fact is that many times in God’s Word we’re encouraged to roll every burden onto Him.

The promised result is God’s rest—His peace, His refreshing of our spirits—in spite of any problem we face. When we submit to His yoke, we find that the burden truly is light and easy to bear. No longer languishing, we find ourselves refreshed, walking forward in His strength.