Unburdened: How The Right Focus Changes Everything

A few days ago I was getting my daughter ready for her first week of preschool. Backpack to hold things, blanket for rest time, water bottle for when she is thirsty, lunch for when she is hungry, snacks for when she is hungry again, small stuffie for when she is sad, sweater for when she is cold, wipes for when she makes a mess, folder for things she needs to learn. I loaded her up and after a few steps she cried, “Too heavy!”

I thought the same thing as I packed for a business trip to New York. I carried a suitcase of clothes, and many of the things she did, except for the stuffy. But I also carried worry about my kids, problems to solve at work, sadness about society, that pain in my lower back, that other pain in my foot, questions about that weird sound my car is making.

We get older and stronger, but the things we carry get heavier.

Sometimes people of faith seem to be carrying loads that are even heavier than most, because they also add rules and practices and responsibilities associated with religion. But Jesus taught that people who follow Him should actually be less burdened.

Jesus said, “…Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”[1]

‭‭This sounds great! Who wouldn’t want to feel less burdened? But how can this be possible?

Jesus also said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”[2] The secret is focus, and specifically focus on God. It makes sense. The happiest times in my life have been the moments I was singularly focused on something good and something big - my wedding day, the birth of a child, visiting a national park, attending a great event. Worries and burdens seemed to fade to the background, and I was absorbed in the moment.

These were normal life experiences in an imperfect world. So if God is better and bigger than anything else, then focusing on God should bring an even greater sense of peace and security.

So what would it look like to focus on God in this way, and trust Him with the things that burden us? I think again about getting my daughter ready for school. When it was clear that what she was carrying was simply too much, she asked for my help. I took all her various bags and burdens, and she stood up straight and smiled.

I told her, “Let me carry all of this, dear. You just hold my hand.”

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I thought about this moment and wondered what God might say about the burdens of my grown-up heart.

The Perfect Burden

“God, I have a lot of things here.

My arms are full. My hands are full. My pockets are full.

My mind is full

My back hurts, my feet hurt, my soul hurts

I am tired”

“Come closer, Child

Let’s see what you carry

You can lay those things here

And empty out your pockets

Turn your backpack inside out

Shake it to make sure it’s empty.”

“But, how will I ever get everything packed up again just so?

It will take forever

To arrange everything so I can carry it all”

“Trust me. “

The hands let go first, then the arms

Muscles aching from the strain,

Relax as blood rushes back

Skin creased from the shape of the load

Slowly regains its form

Shrugging off the straps, the pack hits the floor

Its contents pile high as the bag is shaken out

Big dreams and tiny hopes

Parts to things and things without parts

Little bits of possibility

Other bits in need of repair

All so important

Or not so at all

The detritus

Of a thousand dreams and regrets

Pebbles and sticks and broken toys

Gathered so I have something to hold

Posture straightens a bit,

The anxiety of letting go

Offset by the buoyancy

Of carrying nothing

“Child, let me arrange your load

Just so,

So you can carry everything you need,

Does that sound good?”

“Yes. That would be wonderful.”

Tension returns to the muscles

Bracing feet against the ground

Legs ready to support

Elbows bent and palms up

“Load me up.”

“Here you go”

A single object placed,

Not in hands

Not in pockets or strapped on my back

It is like a garment

Perfectly tailored

A thin layer over everything

Perfectly fitting, perfectly balanced

It weighs, but also supports.

I carry it, but it also carries me

I shape it with every movement

And it shapes me

It is what the world sees

Every time I am seen

A perfect calling

I cast my eyes to the pile of nothing around me

“What of these things? Who will tend to them?”

But, the answer seems so obvious

Before the question is even asked

“All you need will be added.

Only seek first the One Thing.

This yoke is so much lighter.

It’s all about weight distribution.

A load that fits you perfectly

Is not a load at all

I only give you one burden

And it is perfectly molded

To the shape of your heart.

"Come to me,

All you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads,

And I will give you rest…

My yoke is easy to bear

And my burden is light.[3]

Seek me first, and just hold my hand”

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[1] Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[2] Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[3] ‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28, 30‬ ‭CEB‬‬