Nail It To The Cross
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Have you ever carried something so heavy, you had to stop periodically to set it down, then pick it back up again and continue walking? The more you carried it the heavier it seemed to get and the more tired you became. The fact that you had to stop and put it down for a minute or two shows just how heavy it was. Life can be that way. We encounter trials and struggles and carry them for a while only to find ourselves getting worn out by it. We may set it down for a moment due to fatigue, and actually want to leave it there, but instead we pick it right back up and continue carrying it. Sometimes it’s for a short time and other times it can be for years. Day after day we carry the burden of our situation or a loved one’s situation, and the weight of it wears us out causing internal angst. We’ve all done it. Sometimes we even declare “I’m going to give it to the Lord and let Him deal with it. I’m going to nail it to the cross!” Yet we barely turn to walk away and we quickly snatch it back to carry once again by thinking about it, worrying about it and dwelling on it.
Jesus wants us to nail our burdens and problems to the cross. He is willing to take it from us so we can continue moving with ease. But we always seem to take all of it or even part of it back to carry once again and soon we are struggling with the weight of our issue all over again.
What is stopping you from nailing your problem to the cross and keeping it there? Fear? Anger? Pride? A lack of trust in God? Whatever it is, ask God to give you the strength to nail your burden to the cross and leave it there so it doesn’t hinder your walk any longer. Whenever you are tempted to take it back, remind yourself whose shoulders are wider than yours, is able to carry that burden with ease and is able to take care of whatever the problem is. You won’t regret it.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)