Do you want to carry?

I recently bought an Alan Jackson CD, (Yeah, I know it is 2021, but a girls got to have something to listen to while doing homework!) Anyways, as I was listening to this CD the other day and one song caught my attention. There is an old hymn on the CD called “What a friend we have in Jesus”. It is a great old-fashioned hymn for when your soul is weary, and it goes like this. “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer”. What a powerful statement! What restlessness we have and what unnecessary pain we bear, because we do not give everything to the Lord. The lyrics remind me of what Jesus said in Mathew 11:28 “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.” (NIV) Jesus experienced life as a human. He knows the struggle and knows that we get tired and burdened down by the weight of this world. In addition to dying for our salvation, Jesus also knew that we also needed Him for our rest. Whether you are experiencing physical, mental, or spiritual burdens. Spend a few minutes with Jesus and this verse today. Rest in His presence, give everything to Him and He will give you the rest you need!

Over the past few months, I have been experiencing some mental and spiritual burdens. I had a little “God Moment” the other day, while I was at my job. Worrisome thoughts were weighing on me and I was starting to feel a little low. Anyways, as I was going about my business, those same thoughts of worry crossed my mind, and immediately after the still small voice of God spoke, “Do you want to carry this?” That stopped me in my tracks. Now, I am a thinker, so of course, that statement spurred some deep thoughts. Do I really want to carry this worry? Will this lift my spirit or drag me into despair? What good will come of this worry? I decided, no. This worry was not worth dwelling on, I was NOT going to carry this any longer. It is a difficult choice to give up our worries and burdens to the Lord when we are so used to carrying them ourselves. If you are an overthinker like me and get stuck in a toxic thinking cycle of worry often, then you know the struggle! We have subconsciously trained our minds to focus on the worries and fears, whether they are real or not. Running them over and over in our mind, and before you know it, that is all we are thinking about. However, I got some news for you! Running that thought through your head over and over will NOT change ANYTHING. Did you hear that? That will not change a THING about your situation, in fact, it will probably even make it worse for you. Do you know what will change that toxic thinking? Lots of prayer, a whole lotta Jesus, and God’s Word of course! While I am not an expert, I find dwelling on the promises of God to be helpful when you are at war with your own mind. When you feel yourself going down a rabbit hole of worry, spend a few moments with God. Go get your Bible, google a verse that is related to your situation, and meditate on that verse. I have also found it helpful to read the full chapter so that you can get some context behind the verse. Then meditate on the verse. Think about it, run it over and over and over in your mind. Ask God to help you remind you of the verse in those times of worry. When you feel those same dreadful thoughts, use the Word of God as a sword to combat them! (Ephesians 6:17) We as Christians, should not be weighed down by worry and the weight of this world. Jesus said in John 10:10 “I have come so that they may have life and have it ABUNDANTLY”. Give your burdens to the Lord and live in that abundance today.

Blessings, Lex