Man life sometimes is pretty rough. There are so many pressures that the world heaps on our shoulders that it can be hard to make it some days. There are days when it feels like we’re carrying around a heavy pile of chains. The further we walk the heavier they get.
I’m reminded of a workout routine that a friend of mine and I do. We put a pile of chain on the ends of a barbel. Then we bench press with the chains on the bar. At first the bar is fairly easy because most of the chain is piled on the ground. But the higher you press the bar, the heavier the weight becomes.
This is the way things are in life too. We let our own expectations of ourselves, the expectations of the world, the pressures of work hang from the barbel of our lives. These pressures don’t seem terrible at first, but the longer you push them the heavier they feel. Until you just can’t go another step.
Jesus tells us in Matthew’s gospel account – come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. This is an invitation to let Jesus take the chains of our sins and failures and give them to him. He then wants us to walk alongside him so that he can take our pains. With our pains on Jesus, we are then free to live a different kind of life. Not easy just with a different focus.
When Jesus carries our burdens, our weariness is not something that will hold us down. We’ll be tired, but we’ll be able to keep going because we have someone walking with us to carry us when we fall.
Today the world is going to tell you to hang your head because you’re not good enough. But hear a different message from Jesus himself – You are a child of God. He loves you and sent Me to die for you. Walk under the shelter of My arms. I’ve got this. Now go and live the life My Father has in store for you.
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