We all have cares that we carry around with us. The suitcase signifies cares and burdens that we carry.
A few years ago, I received a devotion which got me to thinking about what burdens was I carrying. At the time, my brother was facing surgery where he was diagnosed with having an early stage of melanoma and he is not a Christian. I then listed two other cares that were on my mind. They were not life and death but rather stuff. I had not thought that these “cares” could be slowing my walk.
I asked my children to name some cares. They came up with secrets, peer pressure, and family. These could indeed become cares. Can you come up with a few more?
So often we think of “cares” as being pretty major stuff – not everyday stuff perhaps dealing with our job or our family. Maybe we think of God wanting us to cast our big cares on Him and we can handle the small ones – like dividing up what we can handle and what God can handle. Perhaps we feel as though it is our personal responsibility to carry our own burdens and maybe everybody else’s as well. Just like carrying the suitcase signifies carrying our cares around with us everywhere we go, so we carry our cares around with us everywhere we go. We tend to think that they are manageable, that we can handle them. But our cares could hinder or stop us from using both hands to work, to do for the Kingdom of God. We only can do things halfway, not fully. We cannot dance, jump, embrace because we are tied to the small suitcase filled with our cares. We continue to think that what we are carrying around is manageable.
All along our Father is there calling out to us to come to Him.
Take a moment and read the following scriptures:
Matthew 11:28-30
Matthew 6:25-33
I Peter 5:7
Psalms 55:22
Philippians 4:6
Are you heavy laden? Are you carrying a load that seems overwhelming?
We need to:
• Go to Jesus
• Learn of Him
• Exchange His easy yoke and light burden for what you are trying to carry in your own strength
• Ask Him to teach us His ways so we can learn to find rest for our soul
I also asked my daughter if she thought if we could dwell too much on our cares and of course she said yes. In those times when our cares consume our thoughts, we need to recognize it and then turn our thoughts onto other things. The bible says “whatsoever things are pure…to think on these things”. And the bible says that if we keep our mind on Him, He will keep us in perfect peace.
I want you to take a moment to think about what cares you are carrying right now. How are they affecting you and your walk with God? Are they hindering you from doing what you need to do? Are they hindering you from embracing someone or reaching out to others to help them in their time of need? When we are bogged down, we are not able to be the eyes and hands of Jesus. Take a moment to write down one or more of cares that come to your mind.
Now take a moment to pray about these cares.
Father, we ask You to help us – help us to exchange Your easy yoke for our cares. Help us not try to make it our personal responsibility to carry our cares but rather turn everything over to You. Help us to think on good things as the scripture tells us. Thank You Father for your help and for caring for us. We love and appreciate You. We declare that there is none like You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Blessings,
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