Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Burdens and lightening the load

The other day we were watched Little House on the Prairie, the miniseries movie based on book 2 of the series. We had read part of the series several years ago and thought that this would be something that we could watch with the kids without having to pre-screen - and it was fine.

There is one scene that got me thinking though, and it is a scene mentioned in many of the books and movies about going west. People would leave home with only the "necessary" provisions and then find that if they were going to make it, they would have to lighten the load. So out on the side of the road they would leave great-grandma's table, aunt Tilly's trunk, pappy's books. These things so precious became a burden that was slowing them down. And maybe they weren't even things that were loved, but things that they felt they "ought" to keep.

Either way, they became burdens.

It struck me how often we do that now, carry burdens that are weighing us down - a feeling of guilt from something that happened in high school, worry over something we can't change, hurt feelings from a family member. All burdens that we carry and have no idea how to get rid of.

Sometimes we get rid of them only to find out we have picked them up again.

Sometimes we feel that we need to keep shouldering that burden.

Sometimes we don't know it is there.

Sometimes it seems the hardest thing to do is to toss the burden at His feet. Many times we have to lay it down over and over.

But it is worth it. It is worth the pain and fear of trusting. Through laying down our burdens, the way is easier.

1 comment:

  1. What a great message! Thank you for sharing it - and for taking something from a movie and applying it right into each and every one of our lives.

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