“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV)
Are you feeling loaded down and burdened with the weight of everyone else’s problems?
Picture this scene in your mind with me….
A friend calls you. She shares her marriage problems over a long-tiresome conversation. And for each problem shared, a pebble is represented.
Before hanging up the phone, you decide to pick up her pebbles of problems to keep with you a little longer so maybe you can give her better advice the next she calls.
The next day comes….
A family member stops by. He unloads all his financial stress on you. And for each financial stress, a pebble is represented.
After a couple of hours of you intensely thinking up ways to help him out, he finally goes home.
Why does he go home now? Because he feels less burdened. You have just taken on, all his financial stress. He has no need to worry anymore.
The next day comes….
You go to work. A co-worker shares her misery from an overload of work responsibilities and for each responsibility shared, a pebble is represented.
You want to help this co-worker out because she seems so miserable and you of course, don’t like to see people miserable.
You tell the co-worker, “Let me help you. Maybe it will give you some time to get caught up.”
The co-worker seems so relieved, because you have just reduced her workload. She has become less burdened and you have become overburdened . . . with even more work than you already had.
By the next day….
You’re walking around with the weighty pebbles of your friend’s marriage problems, a family member’s financial stress, and the additional work from a co-worker. All because you just keep picking up more and more weighty pebbles.
My friend, you are weighing yourself down with too much. Each little pebble . . . has now turned into a heaping pile of weight.
Don’t do this to yourself. Instead, be compassionate and show these individuals empathy, but don’t pick up the weight of their problems. Instead, pray for them and see if God leads you to help them further. If He does, He’ll provide the provision.
My friend…. trust God to take care of them, the same way He takes care of you.
And then my friend, you will feel much lighter, because Jesus says…
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
God bless! 🙂
