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Which Burden do You Want to Carry?

by Jerry Ousley  
2/18/2011 / Christian Living

Before there were very many automobiles out on the road, particularly in the country, a farmer was on his way into town to pick up supplies. Pulling an empty wagon behind a small team of horses he figured on having a fair sized load on his return trip. As he ambled down the road he came upon a man walking and carrying a large, very heavy looking pack on his back. He stopped the team and greeted the man, discovering that the pedestrian was also on his way into town. Of course, being the friendly country gentleman that he was the farmer offered the man a ride and he gladly accepted.

As the two continued their journey they were both quiet for some time when the farmer turned to look at his passenger. He saw the man sitting on the edge of the back of the wagon, his feet dangling, and strangely that heavy backpack was still strapped to him. He suggested, "Why don't you unbuckle your pack and stretch out for awhile; it's at least another thirty to forty-five minutes into town."

The man replied, "Oh sir, I don't want to take advantage of your hospitality; you're already carrying my weight; I thought the least I could do was carry my own burden." I guess he didn't realize that with him sitting on the wagon the farmer was already carrying his weight and that of his backpack too.

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Earlier in this same chapter Jesus had been talking about John the Baptist. He had just received a message from John who needed reassurance that Jesus was indeed the Christ. He was in prison and had sent some of his own disciples to ask a question on his behalf. After He had answered John's question and his messengers had left, Jesus spoke to the people about the Baptist asking them just who they thought John was. During the course of His discussion He criticized the Jewish leaders who couldn't say anything good about John the Baptist or Himself. Their comments were intended to place burdens upon the both of them.

That's when He issued the statement found in the scriptural quote. Jesus said that if people would come to Him that they would find His yoke was easy and His burden was light. He was comparing our life to a pair of oxen pulling a load. The yoke was the large, heavy wooden contraption that kept the two oxen together and attached them to the wagon or cart they were pulling. The burden was the load on the wagon. Jesus said that the yoke that attached us to the burden was not large, awkward and heavy but was easy. He also said that the load we would carry for Him would be light; not working us to death to pull it.

Considering that statement we have to take a look at our own lives. Do we feel like we are carrying a large heavy load that makes us drag through life? If so then perhaps we should question that load. When our yoke is hard and heavy and our burden seems more than we can handle then just maybe there's something wrong.

We have a habit of taking on a lot of things ourselves. And too, the devil is always trying to make things bigger than they really are. The devil wants us to burden ourselves down to where it's near impossible to trudge through life. He wants us to be weighted down with concerns, worry, anger and despair. In fact he'll heap everything he can on us in effort to stop us and get us down.

But when we take on the yoke of Christ and learn from Him we find that He is indeed gentle and lowly in heart. He will give us rest. Yes He didn't say that He would take our load completely away from us. But He did say that His yoke is easy to pull and the burden is not heavy and cumbersome but light.

So if you find your burden too much to handle then it's probably time to stop, sit down and compare the weight you're carrying to that which Jesus really wants you to bear. It may seem difficult to let go, but when you do and when you lay down that heavy burden for that which Jesus really has for you, you'll find it to be much easier to carry, you'll find rest and you'll be a happier person. So which burden to you really want to carry?

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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