"Let me carry that for you."

-
Spring is yard work time, and I've sure done my share of yard work these past months.   I've shopped at a few stores so many times for yard stuff that I think the cashier may know me by name.  When I go through the checkout line after shopping, it doesn't matter if the items I'm purchasing are two hanging plants and a pair of gardening gloves or three bags of cement with 8-foot pieces of lumber, it almost never fails that the cashier will ask, "Do you need help carrying that to the car?"
 I normally say, "No, thanks."  Not because I don't need the help, but because I'm rather impatient waiting for help to arrive.  On the few occasions that I have enlisted the help of the store, they usually direct me to go wait somewhere for the promise of help to arrive.    

Waiting...doesn't usually bring out my better qualities.   

Yet, I have waited...and waited...and waited.  I think you get the picture.

But when the help finally arrives, I'm glad that it's some young guy who is lifting the six 40-pound bags of salt into the back of my van.  

I can't help but wonder, do I do the same thing with the Lord?  He says, "Let me carry that for you."  But I scrutinize the situation taking in all the factors. 

  • Do I really need to bother the Lord with this?  Surely, I can handle it on my own.
  • How long will I have to wait for the Lord's help? Is this one of those lessons in patience.  Lord, did You mean, now, right now--You'll carry that for me, NOW?
  •  What will people think if I ask for help?  I'm weak.  I can't let that happen.  I've got to buck-up and carry this all on my own!  People are watching.
Does Jesus really wants to carry our burdens?  In Psalm 68:19 The Lord refutes every excuse I can come up with when it comes to carrying my own burdens.    

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.

Humm?  Why am I making more work for me than necessary?  Why would I carry burdens, when someone is willing to carry them for me?  What do I have to prove?

 My prayer and you may want to pray it today too!

"Lord, I don't want to carry this burden another moment!  You said, 'Let me carry that for you.'  So, here it is.  Take it.  It's all yours.  Oh, and one more thing…I'll be back tomorrow."










Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Waiting Room

-
Image
"Wait!" "Have a seat, I’ll be with you in a minute." "It's going to be a 45 minute wait to be seen." We have all heard these phrases.  Even as I write this, I’m reminded of the cold, hard reality that if I’m left too long in  the waiting room ...it doesn't bring out my best qualities. Waiting has never been my strength and while we’re at it...neither is sharing space or taking turns. A few months ago, I found out that our family is getting new health insurance.  I was not excited about this.   It’s not that I’m overly loyalty to any insurance brand, but my family doctor for the past eight years, has won me over with her promptness in seeing patients within minutes of their appointment time and sometimes even before the scheduled appointment.  I will go so far as to say that she has a “zero” wait time in her office. Now, I'm sure you think I’m exaggerating…and I may be just a bit, but there has been many times in my years with thi
Read more

A Bright Light

-
Image
We have an electrical problem at our house.  If the TV, fireplace and garage lights are all on at the same time, and then I try to blow dry my hair--it's not gonna work.  When this happens, I have to go out to the cold dark garage to find the breaker box.  There have been a few times when I actually went out into the darkness and kept moving in the general direction of the breaker box when I realized, I can't see anything. I'd return to the house and look for my phone to use it as a flashlight.  Once I was in the light, I could find the breaker box and get the lights back on. In Isaiah 9:2, there is an announcement in scripture that a bright light is coming and that  light will shine on all people giving them a way out of the darkness.  The coming of that bright light is what the  story of Christmas is all about. In John 1:4-5 it says,  “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”  There are 1
Read more