Whose pack are you carrying?

We don’t have to listen to the news long before we have a reason to worry… So I thought I’d pull up an old post for review… 

I remember hiking through Glacier National Park with a toddler in a carrying backpack. She weighed no more than 20 pounds, but by the end of the hike it felt like a baby elephant on my shoulders. Now, I watch the kids pack their backpacks every morning, and by the time they are ready to walk out the door the packs weigh at least 10 pounds!

Life can be a lot like carrying a backpack. We go through our days tossing things in our packs; frustration, fear, the economy, our finances, family – anything that causes worry, and we place it squarely upon our shoulders. They don’t seem very heavy in the beginning; strangely the kid’s packs, and that baby carrying pack felt completely manageable, too. Overtime those burdens, just like those packs, begin to weigh heavily upon our shoulders, and every step feels hampered. We attempt to adjust, but no amount of shifting the weight brings relief.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you… For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matt. 11:27-30

Our worries, like those packs, were never meant for long-term transport. Our shoulders are not designed to carry such a heavy pack, they are designed to carry Jesus’ pack, and His are created to carry the weight of the world!

At one point in the hike Tom and I switched, and when he took that baby carrying pack off of my shoulders there was an immediate lightening throughout my body. My arms naturally wanted to lift, my back straightened, and the pain between my shoulders subsided. I literally felt lighter with every step. That is exactly what if feels like when we allow Jesus to exchange His yoke for ours. Every step becomes lighter, our shoulders no longer feel overloaded, and we naturally want to lift our hands in praise!

Before you load that pack remember:

1. Jesus never burdens our shoulders, He burdens our hearts. If our burden feels heavy then it’s not from the Lord; you are wearing the wrong pack.

2. Allow the weight you feel upon your shoulders to push you to your knees. Lay the burdens at the cross where Jesus can exchange His yoke for yours. Our shoulders are designed to transfer not transport.

3. Focus on the things you can do, and leave the things you cannot do for Him! Remember He was created to carry our burdens. We are designed to carry His. His pack is the perfect fit for our strength and abilities.