If you’ve ever watched one of those amazing circus performances, where one person stands on the shoulders of another, and then another, and then another, you probably can’t help rubbing your own tired shoulders and wondering how they do it. After all, each one has to keep things balanced, and the one holding everyone up has to keep his knees from buckling. Sure, they are athletes who practice this particular skill, but most of us can’t imagine carrying that much weight on our shoulders. Yet, here’s the thing. We do just that!
Every time we take a worry from yesterday and bring it on over into today, and then add the worries from three days ago and let all of those things pile up, we’re electing to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We’re imagining that, somehow, we have to fix things or make things better. We take it all on until we’re overwhelmed with the load. Jesus offers to help. He says it’s okay to cast some of our burdens on His shoulders. He wants us to know that we are not expected to manage the weight of the world. No matter how athletic you happen to be, your shoulders were not designed for an excess load. So, what can you do?
Maybe it’s best to start by recognizing that it is not easy to give up worry. After all, if you don’t worry, who else is going to? Whether that awareness helps you or not, consider this. Worry never paid a bill, or healed a broken heart, or helped further a cause. Worry never got a promotion or learned something new. Worry just exists because, well, we won’t let it go. Just like those athletes who practice piling one person after another on their shoulders, you might practice taking off one worry after another. You might simply put those worries to work with the only One who can do anything about them. So, don’t wait till you buckle in the middle to get down on your knees because God has you covered from head to toe and He wants to relieve you of this stress.
Are you ready? Okay, there go the worries from last week. Nothing came of them anyway. Put down the worries from yesterday. Good! Now pray God will be with you today and hand over those things that only weigh you down. God will help you. Jesus is on call. You’re in good hands!