Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: OVERLOAD (10/06/16)
- TITLE: Bearing our Burdens
By Sylvia Young
10/11/16 -
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“Do you know where my binder is?”
“Can you print my homework for me?”
“I hope you didn’t pack me egg salad for lunch!”
“Mom! He’s bugging me again!”
The litany of requests and complaints that comes out of the
mouth of children is endless, and most parents can relate. Having a
child, or in my case, three, puts enormous emotional and mental stress
on a person. We try to do and be everything that they need, and yet
somehow, it’s never enough.
Recently, as my oldest has blossomed into a teen, I’m learning
that I can’t even come close to being everything for her, and as time
goes on, I’m understanding that it’s not my job. I can’t bear all the
grief, anxiety, and pressure for her. What I can do is give her an
example of how I bear my stress. And it has everything to do with
trusting God.
“Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you” is a line
from an old hymn that comes directly from Scripture (1 Peter 5:7). I
sang it often in my staid little church during my growing up years,
and the refrain comes back to me in times of need. It is truth that I
can cling to.
However, there is another saying that goes around which
continues to irk me every time I hear it. “God will never give you
more than you can bear.” Alright, I’ve searched and searched the Bible
and the internet, but this idea is not in there. There is a verse
about how God will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can
bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), but that’s quite something else. This
Scripture has to do with sin, and how we can overcome it. Burdens,
stress, hardship…those are different.
You see, I think God DOES let us endure more than we can bear…
on our own. He doesn’t want to crush us, but He will allow us to feel
the burdens of this world to the point where we can’t handle them
anymore. And that’s when God come in, if we let him. In His Word, He
promises to bear our burdens for us…daily. (Psalm 68:19)
I love the poem “Footprints in the Sand” because it highlights
how when we are at our lowest point, God will carry us through. We are
not to grit our teeth, pull up our bootstraps and manage it on our
own. If we can handle everything ourselves, then why do we need God?
The point is, He wants us to need Him, and that is the turning
point of our relationship. Without His love, His mercy, His grace, His
forgiveness, my life would be unbearable. I wouldn’t be able to
function, let alone see the point of every day.
A nice house, a well-paying job, two cars, strong children, a
reasonable intellect, good health…all these things are wonderful
blessings, but they are not the purpose of living. If they are, then
whenever any one of them is taken from us, we will feel disheartened.
However, when we make God the focus or our life, we can do all things
(Philippians 4:13). Through Him, all things are possible, including
enduring the weight of hardships and the endless, mundane tasks of the
every day. Without Him…well, it doesn’t bear thinking about.
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To the point and very well expressed.