What Are You Carrying?
Has someone ever handed you something and immediately you knew you could not carry it? It was simply too heavy for you. Our muscles are designed to carry weight, but depending on how we develop those muscles through exercise will depend on how much weight they can support.
There are things that we can easily pick up and carry like a plate, a baby or a puppy. But our bodies are not designed to carry a car, or a refrigerator. That amount of weight would harm if not break our bodies! Unless you are The Rock and I’m pretty sure that guy could carry my refrigerator!!
I once heard a story about two monks who were walking together when they came across a wealthy, young woman who was trying to cross a large mud puddle. The older monk picked up the woman and carried her across the puddle, placing her safely on the other side. The woman said not a word of thanks.
The monks walked back to the monastery in silence, but hours later, as they neared their destination, the younger one said to the older, “I still can’t believe she didn’t thank you. That woman was so ungrateful. ”The older monk responded, “I put her down hours ago. Why are you still carrying her?”
The older monk desired to help this woman so he picked her up and delivered her safely across the puddle not for thanks or any other reason but just to help. The younger monk, shocked by her lack of gratitude, unknowingly “picked up” an offense.
He was not aware that he could not carry that weight. It didn’t seem heavy to him at first so he gave it no thought. But the longer he carried it the heavier it became until his offense came out of his mouth in the form of a complaint to the older monk.
Satan’s job is to deceive us, like he deceived Eve; to make us believe the lie that we can and have a right to carry something that we are not build to carry. The sheer weight of sin will destroy us. In Matthew 11:29-30 MSG states, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Sin…offense, unforgiveness, strife, hatred are too heavy for us to carry. They get heavier the longer we carry them until they consume and destroy our hearts. Jesus bore that weight for us. When the enemy hands us that weight we must turn and hand it to Jesus. He promises us that he will not lay heavy ill-fitting burdens on us but we can choose to carry it.
To lay down weight we were not designed to carry requires us to forgive. To forgive when our offenders don’t repent and ask us to forgive them, when they “continue” to hurt us and take no responsibility for their actions, and when our pain screams out it’s not fair.
If you know anything about me you know I get it!!! I understand more than anyone could possible realize. But I’ve also learned, mostly the hard way, it’s just not worth carrying it. I let carrying pain I was not meant to carry nearly destroy me. I’ve also felt the freedom and release that comes with handing it to Jesus.
All of those feelings are understandable and true. BUT…if we want our hearts to be free and our relationship with Jesus to be unhindered, we must let it go. Walk away from that weight and that pain and give it to the only one who can carry it and deal with it the right way….Jesus.