Laying Down Heavy Burdens

Read: Psalm 121; Matthew 11:28-30 James was happy to be camping with his dad, but… “How much further do we have to walk?” His backpack was making him lean forward, and he felt a little like a turtle. Maybe he had overpacked. His dad smiled. “Not too much further, bud. You’ve got this.” James wanted to be strong and make his dad proud. They didn’t see each other often since his parents got divorced. But the weight was really getting to him. “Almost there.” Dad quickened his steps. When they reached their site, James dropped his backpack to the ground and sank down beside it. “That was hard!” “But you did it.” Dad gave him a thumbs-up. “Let me get the tent set up, then we can go on a hike.” “I don’t know if I have the energy to hike.” “We’ll leave our backpacks,” Dad said. “That will make it easier.” James rested while his dad got the tent up, thankful that he didn’t ask for help. He watched his dad take his backpack to the tent and stick it inside before putting a lock on the door. “Let’s hike,” Dad said. James stood and started toward the trail that his dad pointed out. It almost felt like he was floating, his back felt so light. “It does feel better without the backpack.” “Told you,” Dad said. “It always feels better once you lay down your heavy load.” Where did I hear something like that before? James frowned. “Right, in church,” he said. “God promises to carry our load for us if we lay it down before Him.” “What was that?” Dad glanced back at him. James explained what his pastor had taught. “Jesus took our heavy load of sin when He died on the cross, and He is always with us when life gets heavy too. Like, when I’m sad about you and Mom not being together anymore, He can take my sadness and make it so it’s not so heavy.” He straightened up. “It’s like putting down my backpack and feeling lighter.” Dad wiped his eyes. “I’m sorry things are hard for you, bud.” “Me too,” James said. “But I’m glad that I have Jesus to help me.” –Emily Acker How about you? When you’re facing something that feels too hard for you to deal with on your own, do you turn to Jesus? Have you ever felt Him help you through a time that was incredibly hard? He carried your burden of sin to the cross, and He promises to help you with life’s burdens too. Lay your worries, hurts, and problems at His feet and trust Him to help you with them. Today’s key verse: Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) Today’s key thought: Let Jesus carry your burdens