Throw the Pillow!
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22
I was chatting with a friend this week about the burdens on our hearts. Between us we had a number of burdens we are carrying—for family and friends. Needs. Concerns. Problems we’re trying to solve. Anxieties. Decisions. Protection. Difficulties. Trials. Loss. Illness. Grief. Financial hardship. Trauma. Broken relationships. Marital tensions. The list is long—the weights seem heavy.
We then began to talk about giving our burdens to the Lord. He tells us to do that. He knows we can’t carry them—it’s too much for us. Every day, sometimes several times a day, I give my burdens to the Lord. I speak them out, one by one. I confess to the Lord how they weigh me down. I ask Him to take them from my heart and mind. When they come back—I give them to Him again.
Some years ago I was so heavy hearted with burdens. I gave them to the Lord, but they would bounce back into my heart and into my thinking. I read the verse about “casting our burdens” on the Lord. As a physical act of what I was doing spiritually, I took a small throw pillow and threw it across the room. It was symbolic to me of what I was wanting to do in giving my burdens to the Lord. Every time I was tempted to take them back, I remembered throwing that pillow.
I’m so grateful that the Lord invites us to give our burdens to Him. His shoulders are big enough to carry our cares! And He clearly invites us, instructs us even, to give them to Him. He cares for us and doesn’t want us carrying the burdens.
“Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life” (Matthew 6:27)?
There have been times when I’ve felt like one of those big cargo ships with hundreds of containers stacked on it. My burdens felt so big, so numerous, so heavy. Then I realized I’m carrying them, and not giving them to the Lord.
At other times I’ve felt like I’m trying to walk in a mud pit, but I’m not getting anywhere. Or running a never-ending marathon. Any of these types of feelings reveal that we’re not giving our burdens to the Lord. They are robbing us of joy, peace, and freedom.
I take time to mention each burden, speak it out, as I give it to the Lord. I quote the verses where God tells us to give Him our burdens. There have been times when I can feel the weights being lifted from my heart and mind as I do this. He is a faithful burden bearer. He wants us to give our burdens to Him. I’m so grateful for that!
Lord, we throw our burdens upon You, knowing You will carry them and work in them to bring the desired end. Amen.
Finally did just that this week after carrying multiple burdens for various family members for months…and oh the peace it brought…I seemed to have forgotten that being a burden bearer means you bear those burdens up to the Lord so He can take them and have His perfect way and will in them.
Needed this after the week I’ve had. Thank you.
Kind of a guilt relieving thought. So many prayer requests.. some unspoken, and not being able to remember them all constantly is it’s own worry.. Thank you for reminding me/us they aren’t for US to carry!