I tuned in to Jon and Kate Plus 8 last night while I was lifting weights (my favorite form of exercise). If you haven’t had a chance to watch the show, I’ll fill you in a bit. Jon and Kate are the parents of eight adorable kids—twins and sextuplets!
At the start of each show Kate says, “It’s a crazy life…but it’s our life.” I love watching the sweet chaos. Kate and John are Christians, although TLC keeps that pretty quiet on the show. But it’s very clear from their web site.
Kate, John, and a few of the kids went to Cirque du Soleil. Before the show started, a clown walked through the crowd and began stacking colored boxes on Kate’s lap. The stack quickly become about ten feet high! Kate laughed and said something like, “I didn’t really know what was going on so I just let him keep adding boxes!”
I think we’re all like that sometimes. Life comes along and says, “I’m going to add this…and this…and this.” Before we know it, we’re under a ten foot stack of responsibilities and burdens. We’re not really sure how they got there, what we’re supposed to do with them, or how to lighten the load.
I read a story in the classic devotional Streams in the Desert that reminded me of this as well. A man told how his mother had always been a very worried and fearful Christian. One night she had a dream that she was walking along the street. Scattered on the ground were dark bundles. Others picked up the bundles and soon became weary from carrying them. She picked one up as well. Then Jesus walked toward her…
She looked up and told Him how tired she was, and He smiled sadly and said: “My dear child, I did not give you these loads; you have no need of them. They are the devil’s burdens and they are wearing out your life. Just drop them; refuse to touch them with one of your fingers and you will find the path easy and you will be as if borne on eagle’s wings.” The next morning the woman awoke with her load lightened and her son said she was a different person the rest of her life.
One of you left a comment on my Blog Block post that reflected this so well. Judy wrote, “Jesus says, ‘My burden is easy and My yoke is light….’ So if it isn’t easy and light, maybe it is not HIS!” I think that’s an excellent thought for all of us.
So I’m challenging each of us—beginning with myself—to ask what we’re carrying today and why.
Have we simply accepted what life has placed on our lap?
Have we allowed the enemy to burden us in ways God never intended?
Or are we in a season, like Jon and Kate, where the all the busyness and responsibilities are truly our calling?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Jesus asks us to carry our crosses and lay down our burdens. Discovering the difference can be a process. I know I don’t have it figured out yet!
Thank you to each of you for being here. You encourage me so much and I love hearing from you. I pray the Lord blesses each of you today and lightens your load with His love!
