Charles Lehardy is loading up on loads:
When I was a brand new Boy Scout, my troop set off on an overnight camping trip that required a long trek through a local state park. I was outfitted with a crisp Boy Scout canvas backpack, cooking and eating utensils, first aid kit, my Scouting Handbook, sleeping bag and ground cloth, hatchet, Swiss Army knife and Lord only knows what else. The Boy Scout motto is be prepared; I had 40 pounds of gear for every eventuality strapped to my 75 pound frame, as I stumbled single-file on what I became certain would be my very own Bataan Death March.
I didn't die, but I was dragging along in the rear, and at more than one point I was sure I wouldn't be able to take one more step. It wasn't the distance — I often spent my days wandering through the local woodlands in search of adventure. It wasn't the distance, but the burden on my back that turned my legs to rubber and drained my last ounce of strength before we finally made camp.
The burdens we carry wear us down, and we all have burdens to carry. In Mexico, I've watched wiry men hoist buckets of concrete onto their shoulders and trudge up a slender scaffolding to pour the roof of a new home. It's grueling work, but at least at the end of the day, the laborers are able to put those buckets down and unburden themselves. Despite sore muscles, they experience instantaneous relief once that last bucketload has been dumped for the day.
But there are burdens we can't seem to let go of. When you have a gravely sick child, it's a burden that
stays with you. When a loved one goes to prison for doing something unthinkable, that's a burden you can't lay down. When a son is killed in war, or a spouse is diagnosed with cancer, or a friend commits suicide, or you're out of work and there are 500 applicants for every job...
Most of us are incapable of slipping these burdens off our shoulders, not even for a few moments of longed-for relief. The bonds of love create burdens of care and concern.
But the New Testament tells us that these burdens can be shared. In the two verses at the top of this post, Jesus promises rest for those who are loaded down, while Paul reminds us that we embody the love of Christ when we help carry each other's burdens.
But how does that work, exactly? How do we carry someone else's pain and suffering? How do we share someone's grief and heartache? How can you experience rest and peace, when worry or sadness keeps you awake at night? It's a nice thought, but is it possible?
I think the answer is...
stays with you. When a loved one goes to prison for doing something unthinkable, that's a burden you can't lay down. When a son is killed in war, or a spouse is diagnosed with cancer, or a friend commits suicide, or you're out of work and there are 500 applicants for every job...... worth your pursuit of it over at Charlie's place.
Go... and lighten your load.
