God’s Got Your Back [Day 37]
By Michele Nishioka
Then 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)
Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. (Psalm 55:22 NLT)
Packing and moving is one of my least favorite things to do, yet we have moved eighteen times and now we are getting ready for move nineteen. Our new place is not far away, but it still means cleaning, packing, and moving boxes from one place to another.
When we move, I have no problem with moving furniture and carrying boxes by myself. Now, I am a 5’1” woman, maybe a little out of shape, and old enough to have a 20-year-old and a 17-year-old—let’s just leave it at that. When moving boxes and furniture, I can be pretty stubborn. When someone can plainly see that my body is shaking and my face is turning red from the stress of the weight, they will offer help. “Nope, I got it. I only have a little ways to go. I am good.” “See how strong I am? I can do this all by myself. Thank you very much.” Strength? Or stubbornness? Then the cost of my stubbornness comes as I can feel every bone in my body. My shoulders, my entire back.
I am also like this when it comes to doing life, especially now. This pandemic has brought on additional stress in people’s lives including my own. There is a lot weighing on my mind and in my heart. More times than not, I try to carry as much as I can on my own, all by myself. “It is okay, God, I got this. I am strong. I have perseverance and grit.” Then I get weary and tired. The cost of me trying to carry burdens on my own manifests in headaches, muscle pains, and restless nights.
In the book of Matthew, Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you. I am humble and gentle.Then you will have rest. For my yoke is easy to bear and the burden I give you is light.” I love this visual of a yoke, that Jesus comes beside us and carries our heaviness, so our burdens can be light. (A yoke is used to harness two animals together to carry a heavy load.)
How are you doing? Are you feeling weary? Are you finding true rest? There is a lot that we are navigating in this pandemic. We have all had to shift, pivot, navigate life in a very different way in unprecedented times. It is a lot to carry on your own. But guess what? You do not have to carry it on your own. God has your back. Go to God. God wants to care for you. Psalm 55:22 says, “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” Abandon pride and stubbornness, and claim God’s promises that God will take care of you. God has your back.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for being a God that listens and cares for me. I confess that I am trying to carry some heavy burdens on my own and that I have not asked for help. I know coming to you, Lord, is not a sign of weakness, but it is a sign of strength knowing my strength should come from You. Thank You for being my comfort and my peace. Thank You that I do not have to carry my burdens alone. I come to You with my burdens. These are my burdens right now: _____________________, __________________, and ____________________. Thank You for loving me in all of the seasons of my life. Thank You for Your unconditional love. Thank You for rest and peace. Amen.
