ARE YOU CARRYING THE RIGHT BURDENS?

We all carry burdens. There are things that affect our minds and make us feel suffocated, heavy, irritated, sorrowful, or exhausted. Some burdens come from what is happening in our own lives, from things we pray about but don't see any change in, while others come from what is happening around us or in the world. We are weighed down by so much happening around us and to us. The Bible very clearly gives us a way to carry these burdens and help others.

Galatians 6:1–2 tells us to restore a person gently while also “keeping a watchful eye on yourself so that you are not tempted as well.” We are called to carry one another’s burdens, but there is a way to carry them.

When someone is drowning, we should not go in such a way that we drown with them. To help a person, we need to be on solid ground first. We need to be standing on the Rock, in our safe place Christ and his word- so we can be strong enough to help the other person. We may feel strong enough and think we can simply go and help, but we need wisdom so that we are not led merely by our feelings and emotions. We need to ask GOD, “Is this You leading me, or are my emotions pushing me?” Never be driven. Always be led by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes God may lead us to meet a person and talk to them. Sometimes He may tell us to counsel them. Sometimes He may simply tell us to sit in our room and pray and intercede for them.

The battles belong to the Lord, and we must not make the mistake of trying to be God in people’s lives.

THE BURDENS WE CARRY PERSONALLY

There are also burdens within our own lives: finances, debt and bills, work pressure, relationships and disappointment, sickness and pain. Your body, the pain in your body, it burdens you. It affects you. It can be shame or feelings of inferiority, words of insult and mockery spoken to us, discouragement, or questions about our future. Sometimes we are burdened simply because we do not know what lies ahead.

What has God kept for me? What is my direction? What is my destiny? Should I study further? Should I move somewhere else? Should I get a job? Should I start a business? We become burdened with questions and doubts.

Thomas was also a man filled with questions. In John 14:4–6, Thomas says to Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where You are going. So how will we know the way?” Jesus answers, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” If we want to know what to do with our lives, we need to be with the One who has already made the way for our lives. How many of us have thought, “I don't know what God has called me for. I don't know what the purpose of my life is”?

Many of our fears about the future come because we are listening to the world: people losing jobs, companies shutting down, AI taking over work, and everything happening around us. We are filled with doubts because we are listening to someone else. We are not listening to God. We are listening to the world. But we need to remember that while we are in the world, we are not of the world.

In John 14:4–6, Jesus is actually speaking about going to heaven, and the way was through crucifixion, death, and sacrifice. Isaiah 40 says that those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength and mount up with wings like eagles. Yet sometimes, even though we are eagles, we are still running around like chickens because we are looking at all the chickens around us. Stop behaving hopelessly and fearfully and train your eyes on Him.

When we walk with the One who Himself is the Way, even where there appears to be no way, He can open a way.

Projects, studies, exams, office deadlines, responsibilities, and endless tasks can also become burdens. 

Imagine being told to cut one thousand trees. Immediately the mind begins calculating: one thousand trees, 130 today, 130 tomorrow. The task takes over the mind. Our flesh likes control. When we feel that things are under our control, we are comfortable. But when they begin to move out of our control, panic and anxiety enter.

A wise person, however, does not immediately take the axe and start cutting. A wise man first sharpens his axe. When there is a huge task ahead, even our own mind can say, “Why are you praying now? Why are you reading the Bible? Why are you going to church? You have work to finish.” But that time with God in prayer and in the Word sharpens us. The problem is that, being in the world, we become so spiritually dull and develop such a casual attitude. Begin your day with sharpening. Instead of immediately jumping into the project, first be with Him. 

He knows much better than any counselor or advisor in this world. We have an advocate, an advisor, the Holy Spirit inside of us. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” The problem is that we often say, “God, first I will finish my work, and then I will come to You.” Or we first go to our pastor, our friend, our lecturer, our colleague, or somebody else. But Jesus says, “Come to Me.”

Bring the load. Bring the tasks. Bring the disappointment, shame, discouragement, family problems, and burdens of other people. Carry them to Him. People can listen to us, but people cannot give us rest. Even when somebody comes and offloads their burden on us, both people ultimately need to offload those burdens on Christ in prayer.

Sometimes there are seasons when the people who encouraged us or helped us are no longer there. They may leave, move somewhere else, or simply be removed from our lives. That can feel like a curse, but it can also become the place where God says, “Come to Me. Let Me be your closest friend.” Moses was in the desert. John was on Patmos. Peter was taken from the crowd into the deep. There are times when God takes a person into isolation because He wants them to learn to listen to Him. Let Christ become your hope.

God wants to give rest, not stress

Jesus continues in Matthew 11: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

There is a burden that Jesus gives, but His burden is different. The burden that the world gives pushes us down. The burden that God gives is light. The burden God gives is connected to the spiritual world, eternity, and the relationship of people with God. Our burdens begin to change when we look at Him. Instead of constantly worrying, “Will I lose my job? What will happen to me?” the burden starts becoming, “God, these people around me need You.” Our burdens will change when we look at Him.

If work is stressing us, give Him time. Sharpen yourself. During a break, instead of immediately going to the phone, spend time meditating on the Word or praying: “God, make me closer to You. I want to fall in love with You.”

OFFLOAD THE BURDEN, THEN LISTEN

Paul had a burden too. Three times he asked the Lord to remove the thorn from his flesh. God answered, “My grace is sufficient for you.” God is strong enough to remove the thorn, but He is also strong enough to give us strength to overcome it. Sometimes He removes the mountain. Sometimes He gives us the strength to climb the mountain. Paul came to God with his burden, offloaded it before Him, and received the rest and peace of God. But simply offloading is not enough. We can complain to God about our boss, family, spouse, or circumstances and then walk away unchanged. The person who becomes free is the person who says, “God, now I need to listen to what You are saying about this issue.” Wait in prayer. Continue seeking Him. Listen until He speaks.

Rest always comes with the truth.

We come carrying our burdens, and we receive His rest. Whatever the burden is, loneliness, shame, discouragement, pain, or questions, lay it before God. Then say, “God, now I’m going to seek Your rest. I want to hear what You say.” Because His truth sets us free.