Dancing with a HEAVY LOAD!
23/09/2012 16:25
Have you ever danced with a knapsack crammed full with heavy stones on your back? I have! Well, not literally. But figuratively. I like dancing in the rain, remember? It’s a grand act…. to dance in the rain. A freeing one too. Dancing my cares away…. as large raindrops splash on my bare skin, zig zag silver streaks of lightning flash across the sky and while the deafening thunder booms around me. Yes, dancing in the rain is always good for my soul!
But dancing while a heavy load weighs me down? No, no no! That’s not called for!
Of course not!
Oh! But I’ve tried. How silly can I get? It happened just the other day. After a wonderful spell on the mountain tops of life for awhile, I was suddenly tested. A few large boulders of difficulty came crashing onto my path. They spelt DANGER! People near and dear to me were threatened. A deeply loyal streak in me rushed to their defence. I felt like a lioness whose cubs were being attacked. I wanted to stand up and fight for them.
And so I got into battle gear. I prayed. I fought. I knew that doing the 'lioness act' was inviting trouble. But also knew that there are times in life when God calls me out of my comfort zone – to stand up for those who need defending. All good so far. I believe I obeyed God. As a follower of Jesus, there was no other response possible.
But foolishly, I also did something else. I unwisely carried the weight of the situation, squarely on my own little back. There it lay – a heavy weight pressing down upon me. No wonder I felt stressed! No wonder my smile wasn’t in its usual sunny place! No wonder my brow was furrowed!. No wonder God couldn’t do a thing about it! There I was trying hard to dance in the rain, while carrying a large back-pack filled with heavy weights. (Figuratively of course!)
A week later, when I woke up one morning, the realisation hit me. Hard. The load wasn’t mine to carry in the first place. The problem belonged sorely to God. It was His battle. Not mine. Sure - I needed to be loyal. Sure - I must stand up against injustice. Sure – I must do my part! But did I need to carry the weight of the situation on my own puny little shoulders? Of course not!
And so, as I opened my sleep-filled eyes that morning, I smiled at my Father God. “Lord, I hand over this burden to You. It’s all yours!” I said. It was the best thing I could have done. What did He do? He took the burden over. He placed it on His own powerful back instead . Then He told me ‘Daughter. You are free. Go in peace.”
Peace flooded in, just like the warmth of a glowing fire on a cold, cold day. Like the soothing comfort of hot soup inside of me, after a tramp in a biting wintry world. Like the relaxing, tranquil water inside my bathtub, while I blissfully soaked in it. What a difference it made. God’s shoulders are strong. Very strong. Able to carry every weight.
Are you wrestling with a problem that’s hard for you to carry today? Perhaps it’s time to hand it over to the One who can handle them? The One with Strong Shoulders and a Heart of Love?
“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon me 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.”
Mathew 11:28-30
Since then, I’ve been been able to dance, sing, clap and cheer again as I made merry in the ‘rains’ of life. Not that the problem disappeared. No – the problem got worse before it got better. But I resigned as General Manager of the situation. And the real General Manager of the Universe was very pleased. But not half as pleased as I was!
