The Burden-Bearer

     Okay, I just had to include a little joke I shared today at Bible study.  The captain of a slave galley goes down to the slaves one morning and asks them to put down their oars.  "Gentlemen," (this is obviously a very polite captain)... "gentlemen, I've got some news for you.  Some of it is good news, some of it bad news.  I'm going to give you the good news first.  Tomorrow, we are going to dock at Caesarea, and you will all be getting shore leave.  There will be all kinds of entertainment available and you can all do anything you want."
     "Now the bad news.  Today, the Admiral wants to go water skiing."
     I know the feeling.  The last few days, it seems like I've been trying to row hard enough to keep the Admiral waterskiing behind the slave galley.  And failing.  And in case you're wondering, it's exhausting rowing that hard and unremittingly.
     But the other morning I had something strange--but sweet--happen. I awoke very early, tired and overwhelmed by all I had to do.  Gotta keep rowing and rowing... and eventually that just wears you down to a nub.  A grumpy, empty, tired nub, I might add.
     I  dutifully sat down with a steaming mug of hot tea and opened my Daily Light and read a bit of God's Word.  And here were the first two verses I read: "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." Isa.26:3 (always one of my favorites) and "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." Ps.55:22
     And here's what happened.  I decided to just lie down on the couch for a few minutes and talk to the Lord a bit.  Just sort of tell Him how tired and grumpy and overwhelmed I was feeling.  I'm sure He loved hearing from me.  Such joy to hear all those complaints.  But guess what?  He can totally handle them all, and I know He loved me just as much after my grumbling session as before.
     But here's the strange part.  As I closed my eyes, His Word just ringing in my ear: "Cast your burden."  "Cast your burden."   And that is exactly what I did.  I just imagined Jesus standing beside the sofa (since He was anyway), and I kept handing Him my burden--my burden of frustration, my burden of fear, my burden of too much to do... and on and on.  I just kept casting my burdens, and He just smiled and kept taking them right off my shoulders.
     After a few minutes, I suddenly felt lighter.  Because I knew I handed Jesus all those burdens, and He could carry them with ease.  In fact, those burdens were as nothing to Him.  He just laughed as if to say, "Okay, I've got them all, and I've got you!  So let's get going and enjoy this day together."
     And what can I say?  We did.  With all those burdens gone, I was free to get up--a freer, lighter, far more joyful woman.   Ready for whatever adventure the new day might bring.
     He's promised to be our Burden-Bearer.  And what we carry with sorrow and a heavy heart, He carries with ease and with joy... just as He went even to the cross with joy to bear our sins.  Thank You, Lord Jesus.  Help us to continually cast our burdens upon You, for You have promised to sustain us, and Your Word never ever fails.
     To God, the Burden-Bearer and Joy-Giver, be all the glory.