I recently re-read Corrie Ten Boom’s book “The Hiding Place.”  Corrie and her family hid and cared for Jewish families in the Netherlands during World War II.  They were arrested and her father and sister died in concentration camps.  Corrie survived and began a new career as an inspirational speaker, teaching about God’s love and grace in the midst of evil.

In the book, Corrie recounts a lesson her father taught her when she was small.  She asked a question and the answer was beyond her understanding as a child.  So her father asked her if she could carry a heavy suitcase as they were getting on the train.  Corrie replied that the suitcase was too heavy for her, but not too heavy for her father.  In response, her father said that God knew when burdens were too heavy to bear and he would carry them until we were able.  This story helped Corrie deal with the horror of the concentration camp and find God’s grace even in a place of death.

Sometimes we are faced with burdens too heavy to bear.  This week in the news was the story about the ER doctor who committed suicide over her inability to care for all the coronavirus patients.  The burden was too heavy for her to bear.  But, instead of trusting God to carry it for her, she chose another path out of her suffering.

 

Are you carrying burdens too heavy to bear?  Are there emotions or worries or expectations that are too heavy for you?  Does grief overwhelm you?  Is the pain so great that you aren’t sure how you can go on?  Lay down your burdens at the foot of the cross.  Jesus knew about burdens too heavy to bear.  Instead of leaving us to carry on, Jesus offered to carry the burdens for us.  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

There are several great hymns and Christian songs about laying down our burdens.  Here is Elvis Presley singing “Reach Out to Jesus.”  Crowder singing “Come As You Are.”  John Tesh with “Trading my Sorrows.”  And my favorite, Amy Grant singing “Carry You.”

There are burdens that are too heavy for us to bear.  But our Father knows that, and he carries them for us.