Burdens

Have you ever just sat and thought about all the different ways you can screw up? I know this is a strange question to start with, but there are days when my mind cannot stop thinking about how I will fail everyone. I sit at my desk looking at my to-do list, and then it hits me, Tristan, what the hell are you doing here. This task is too big for you; where do you start? How do you finish? And the question that sometimes keeps me up at night, what will they think of me?

I know that I am not the only one who feels like this; in fact, I talk with struggling people weekly, who can't seem to shake off this anxiety that they will fail. So how do we tread this field called life with the Yoke that Christ speaks of in Matthew 11? Christ starts in verse 28 with an invitation, "come to me." Simple, He doesn't need to say more; just come. Who is He talking to, those who are tired, weary and burdened, a.k.a the human race. And then he goes on and says, "and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Christ is our ultimate relief; for some, that might not make sense. But the reality is that all we need to do is approach Him with a willingness to release our burdens onto him. Unfortunately, this passage in Matthew 11 is often misused; we sometimes use it as once and done passage. All you have to do is submit to christ, and your burdens will be no more. That's not how this works; Christ doesn't throw your burdens away; all he does is help you carry them. It gives us a moment to breathe and walk forward in confidence because we know who is walking beside us. Please don't get our burdens and our sin mixed up because they are different. Our sins can become a burden on our hearts, but they are two different categories. I wish Christ would wipe my anxiety out as he did for my sin on the cross, and I know that if He wanted to, He probably could. But at this point, I seek him to help me carry it and have Him work with me to release it entirely.

I don't write a lot, but when I do, I try to be as honest as I can. I see myself as a strong man of God, a decent husband, father and friend. If you do read this, be encouraged, Christ has given you an invitation to come to Him; the next step is on you. The burdens of life may not go away but, after you take that first breathe, things will become easier as long as you are holding your father's hand! As I pray daily for myself, I pray for you. May you walk forward in the confidence of the Lord because you have everything you need to make it through today.