Tag Archives: lay your burden down

December 12, 2023 · 5:40 AM

Lifted Back Up

My wife and I made our first trip to Haiti a couple of years after the catastrophic earthquake of 2010. As we made our way out of Port au Prince, we drove through what was known as tent city where thousands of people who lost their homes lived. We made our way north to a village where we were going to be working with an orphanage. The village was very primitive. The people would carry a 5 gallon bucket for several miles each day to get fresh water. I remember seeing them carrying that heavy load all the way back and wondering how many generations have been bent over carrying water that far. The organization we were with wanted to ease that load on the people. The next year, we drilled a well and installed a reverse osmosis system so the people could have free water and not have to carry those buckets so far.

In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus encountered a woman while He was teaching in the synagogue who was doubled over. It says that she was this way because of a demon held her in bondage. Jesus decided to heal her even though it was the Sabbath. The leader of the synagogue reprimanded Jesus for healing her. He then responded by reminding him that each person in there had untied their animals at some point on a sabbath to lead them to water. He then said that this woman had been bound up and doubled over for 18 years under this load. Should she be untied and lifted up? The leader was ashamed, but the people and the woman rejoiced that Jesus lifted her up.

Psalm 145:14 says, ”The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads“ (NLT). Commentaries say that this phrase “bent beneath their loads” is referencing people who are doubled over under their worries, their duties or their trials. God is one who lifts people up. He doesn’t want to leave you bent over under the heavy load you’re carrying. In fact, in Matthew 11:28 He offers for you to go to Him with your heavy load and He will lift you up and give you rest. He will take that load you shouldn’t be carrying off your shoulders and give you His burden instead, which is light. God can release you today from the things that are weighing you down. Release them to Him today and ask Him to take the weight off your shoulders. He wants to lift you back up.

Photo by Aditya Saxena on Unsplash

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May 6, 2021 · 5:30 AM

Releasing Stress

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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April 26, 2016 · 5:30 AM

Letting Go


Tug of war is a great game we learned to play as kids. You can have one on one tug of war or team versus team. Either way, it’s a battle of strength and will. Each of us has played with that person who just lets go of the rope. Your body was used to keeping the tension by pulling against the weight of the other side, and when they release that tension, you go flying backwards. Now, any time you hold any weight with tension, you’re afraid you’ll fall down if that happens again.

Just like our body gets used to keeping the tension in tug of war, our mind can get used to the tension of carrying a burden. There’s a struggle. There’s tension. There’s the fear of what it’ll do to you if that tension is cut. You don’t feel like you can let go of the burden for fear of flying backwards and being made to look like a fool. Fear keeps you holding on to the weights you should’ve let go of long ago even after God has told you to let go.

You may not know it, but God gave you a promise in Psalm 55:22 about letting go of those burdens. It says, “Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail)” (AMP). If you will release the weight of your burden, He will catch you. He won’t let you fall and look like a fool. His desire is that you let go of that heaviness and hand it over to Him.

Just like in tug of war, it’s a trust exercise. You’re going to have to be the one to let go though. You’re going to have to be the one who releases the tension and says, “God, I’m letting go of this burden. You can have it.” God cares about your mental, physical, and spiritual health. Carrying a burden affects all three. That’s why He said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28NLT). You’ll be more productive, happier, and better rested when you let Him do the heavy lifting. 

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June 12, 2013 · 7:15 AM

The Burden Center

As I was turning into my hotel in Baton Rouge last night, I noticed a sign that said “Burden Center”. I know now it’s an off campus Ag center for LSU, but I started thinking about a real burden center where you could come lay yours down and rest. How cool would that be? If you ever wanted to off load your burdens for good or just make them smaller, you could come to the burden center and do that.

Each of us carry burdens of some sort. Some burdens are so heavy that they crush you. They affect your mood, your outlook on life and even your personality. I’ve heard people say, “That’s my burden to bear.” They have given up hope that anyone will come along to share the load and to help them. They feel like they are the only one who can bear that load, so they carry it.

Usually when I have a load like that, I feel like I have to carry it because no one else can or will. I take the burden on my back purposefully and carry it as far as I can. The problem is that the longer I carry it, the heavier it seems. It’s like hiking up a mountain with a backpack. As I climb the mountain, the backpack doesn’t physically get larger or heavier, but the longer I carry it, the more I need a rest.

I have the option to do that when I’m carrying a backpack, but don’t feel like I do when I’m carrying a burden. All I want to do is rest, but burdens don’t let you. They consume your mind and suck energy right out of you. Jesus knows that all too well. He also knows that we’ll try to carry weights on our own. That’s why He has a burden center. His motto is found in Matthew 11:28. It says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Ahh rest. Such a great thing, especially when you’re carrying a burden. I love how the Amplified version talks about rest. It says, “I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.” Now that’s a promise we should all take advantage of. I know I need my soul relieved and refreshed. When that happens, your outlook changes once again. You get your strength and life back to where God wants it.

What burdens are you carrying today that you think your the only one who can? Are you tired and ready for rest? Bring them to His burden center and give them to Him. If you truly believe He is in control of all things, then surely He can carry your burden for you and cause the outcome He wants. He’s asking for you to give it to Him, but the choice is yours.

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