4 Ways To Deal With The Burden You Are Carrying
None knows the weight of another’s burden.
George Herbert
Over the weekend, Leanne and I were taking a walk along the Perkiomen Trail. As we approached the base of the steepest hill on the entire trail, we crossed paths with a man who was running down the hill with a heavy bag held behind his neck. We exchanged greetings, and I asked him how he was doing. His response made me chuckle, “Tired.”
Of course he was tired. He was running with a huge load on his back. What does he expect. If he had simply left the bag at home, his run would have been easier. And he wouldn’t be so tired.
We kept walking, and I started thinking.
How many of us go through life with a heavy weight tied to our back?
I know I’ve been carrying around a couple of heavy loads lately. I’ve lost sleep. I’ve experienced other signs of stress and fatigue.
How would my life change if I let go of these burdens?
I wouldn’t be so tired. I’d have more energy for other more productive things. I’d be happier. I might even have less gray hair.
We all have burdens to carry, but there are a few things we can do to lighten our loads:
4 Ways To Deal With The Burden You Are Carrying
- Ask for help. Our pride gets in the way of asking for help. We don’t want to appear weak, or we don’t want to let others into our world. Sometimes we need help. Plug into people who can help you when you need it. This may be a small group or church group. Or it may be a professional. Several years ago when I was carrying a heavy load, I met with a counselor for a few months.
- Limit the time you carry your burden. Either take care of the issue that is causing the burden as quickly as possible, or give yourself fixed periods of time to deal with the burden you are carrying. A prolonged period of feeling overloaded leads to fatigue, ineffectiveness, and even depression.
- Let it go. This is easier said than done for most of us. Maybe the writers of the Disney “Frozen” song had something right. We may need to simply drop the heavy bag from behind our necks and keep going. This may not sound responsible, but it may be the choice you need to make today to get out from under the heavy load you’ve been carrying around.
- Give your burden to the One who can carry it no matter what. “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22 This is a promise. The bumper sticker “Let Go And Let God” seems so cliché, but maybe there’s far more truth in it than we care to admit.
“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