Weighing Our Burdens

Like most men, my husband loves gadgets.
Like most engineers, my husband likes to tweak the gadgets he already owns.
He enjoys finding new ways to do things so the load is a bit lighter.

Often, in our married life, I have asked him to refrain from the bells and whistles.
Refrain from buying the microwave that can do all sorts of things.
Refrain from installing the thermostat that is programmable if you have a PhD degree.

He has thankfully listened and honored my requests to keep it simple.
Sometimes, for the sake of that little boy excitement, I just smile.
Put me in a book store or antique shop and I am happy.
Put my husband in a tool store and shopping has gone to a new level.

There is a tool store, not too far from our house, that always has coupons in the paper.
My husband has a pile of those tool store supplements in his office.
Don’t worry, he mentioned, there is no expiration date on them.
Sure enough, he is right; there is no expiration date on any of the coupon offers.

I think the store realizes that most men do not pay attention to the dates anyway.
My husband always carries a sheet of coupons with him, so he has it on hand.
You never know when an urge to go to the tool store will come over him.

Maybe a socket wrench, or a rolling tool cart for the garage; he never leaves empty handed.
He was so excited to show me his newest purchase.
It is a hand-held luggage scale.

I actually found it interesting.
It calibrates the weight using a small, suspended hook.
To demonstrate, he weighed a trash bag from the kitchen.

Since he travels often for work and volunteers annually to build homes, this is very useful.
I am amazed at how easy it is to fill a suitcase to maximum capacity.
The poundage really adds up, especially if you intend to carry-on your luggage.

My daughter, who is an athlete, can travel light.
For the most part, women tend to pack much more than we need.
Whether it is extra shoes or accessories, we can fill a suitcase very quickly.

I was thinking about the hand-held luggage scale.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had something like that for our burdens?
Just hang our burdens on the suspended hook and see how heavy they really are.

Our trash bag in the kitchen was about seven pounds.
That surprised me even though it was the end of the day and it was full.
Seven pounds of things we were throwing away.

We recycle.
We reuse.
We give away rather than throw away.
Yet, our trash bag was seven pounds.

How much would my burdens weigh if I placed them on a scale?

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

That is the key.
We are not to carry our burdens alone.
We are to be yoked to the One who will lead so we can rest.

Imagine if two mature oxen were yoked together.
They would each be pulling in opposite directions.
They would never get anywhere and would hurt themselves in the process.

A mature ox, together with an ox that has never been yoked is the best combination.
The young ox will try to push and pull but will inevitably give up.
The journey is less arduous and less painful when the young ox leans in and submits.

When we learn how to be yoked to Jesus, we can help others carry their burdens.
We can lighten their load.
Oh, to have a hand-held scale for that!

Can you imagine showing them the before and after picture?
The heaviness of their burdens as they carry them alone is astounding.
How light the load becomes when you carry those burdens together.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

We may not have a literal hand-held scale for our burdens, but we do have a tool.
We have God’s Word.
We have everything we need to know for faith and practice.

A tool store right in our hands.
Not gadgets with bells and whistles.
Truth to help us live Godly lives and point others towards Him.

The Bible is the only tool we will ever need.

…you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isaiah 46:3,4)

We are carried.
We are held.
We are sustained.
We are rescued.
We never have to carry our burdens alone.