2 Corinthians 4:6-7 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not us.
2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
I like to think of myself as a somewhat self-sufficient adult. Doing things on my own to prove to myself (and others, whoever they are) that I can do them gives me a very distinct satisfaction. If I can get around without utilizing someone else’s help, I will do just that. Case in point: a couple of Tuesdays ago, I went to Wal-Mart to buy one of those TV stands that you have to put together. It was very heavy as I pulled it off the shelf but I told myself, “Hey it’s a little heavy, but I’ve got it”. Then, I carried it through the store, to the check out line, and to my car, all sans-shopping cart or assistance. When I got home, I found a bruise on my arm due to the weight of the stand in the box hitting my arm but I figured if that’s all I suffered, then I was doing pretty well. In my eyes, I made it off pretty easy! But, as is quite often the case, I was wrong.
That following Sunday, as I was preparing to photograph a wedding, my arms and hands were tremendous pain. All of that pain was because I was carrying a load I had no business carrying. I wasn’t strong enough to carry it and I was certainly not equipped to carry it. How much more can the same be said for our walk with God when we try to bear the burdens that He has quite explicitly told us to come to Him with and to give to Him (Matthew 11:28).
When we take on issues and problems on our own, we find ourselves under a weight that we simply cannot carry. God did not design us to fight our own battles. He designed us to worship Him and to carry out His specific purposes that He equips us for. He promises to fight our battles (Exodus 14:14, Deuteronomy 1:30, Deuteronomy 3:22, 2 Chronicles 20:15). We need only to give those burdens to Him. When we take up burdens on our own that we weren’t designed to bear, we may be alright at first. But just give it time, we will end up with hurt and damaged a little bit later, kind of like me. All because of my pride, I subjected myself to immense pain by not deferring the burden to someone (a strong Wal-Mart employee) or something (a shopping cart) that could handle the weight.
And in this life (and the next), God is that strong, sturdy foundation that can support the weight of every person and their issues.