I kind of joked to myself while listening to the Sunday message that I was too old and tired to hold on to anger or pain or resentment. Those emotions just wear me out. But that could be lying to myself. We are never too young or too old to be weighed down with the hurts of the past. When we hang on to past hurts, it does wear us down. Sometimes hanging on to the hurt has worn us down so much that it is the only thing that makes us feel alive despite being the very thing that is killing us. We have become so overwhelmed with the pain, we feel nothing else.
Jesus knew that we carry a great burden when we refuse to release our hurt. He calls us to come to him because he will release us from all that pain, he will give us rest. The first step of release is to replace our heavy, heavy burden with the burden Jesus gives us.
Now some would say, but I don’t want a burden at all. The problem is, we will always shoulder some sort of burden, be it the pains of life or the joys of serving Christ. The burden Jesus puts on us is simple; love God and love people. When we love God and love people, all the hurts and pains that life has thrown at us melt away. Love conquers pain for love lifts us up out of the overwhelming pit of pain. Love forgives and is forgiven. Love brings us rest, Jesus brings us rest.
My eyes are ever on the Lord,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
Look on my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins. -Psalms 25:15-18 NIV
