By Katy Mariotti
Letting Go and Helping Out
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30, English Standard Version
One of my favorite pictures on the internet is of Beyonce, at the Grammy’s and of course all decked-out for such an event, sitting next to her child while holding a juice box and snacks. While I am certainly not famous, my sister snapped this picture of me at our church’s fall festival, holding the baby and all the things of my older children so they could go play.
Moms (and dads) carry a lot. Some of it is physical, but there are a lot of mental and emotional burdens too. So many responsibilities, schedules, and other needs. Just as a snapshot, some things on my mind currently are: my baby playing at my feet, my son’s Halloween costume which didn’t come out just right and now I have to figure out how to fix, the state of my house, the items I need to purchase for school Halloween parties, how I’m going to arrange my schedule this week to accommodate work, piano lessons, and a school field trip, helping my children through whatever anxieties and worries they have, making sure they get all their school work done and also get enough sleep at night, making sure bills that I owe get paid, figuring out when I’m going to fill out my extensive voting ballot… not to mention all the things that always just kind of simmer there, like worry about my loved ones health and safety, sadness over an estranged friendship, and more. I could keep listing!
I’m not saying this to complain. Because in all honesty, I am so happy, and our lives are so very blessed! My point is that we carry so much. I used parents as an example, but I would guess that every single person reading this could make a list like mine, and many even longer.
The beautiful thing is that God knows. He sent His Son Jesus, who came down to earth as fully God and fully human. God wants us to lay our burdens on Him. You are NOT carrying your burdens alone.
Want to know a secret about the picture I posted? My kids did come and hand me all their things, but I wasn’t alone. My sister grabbed much of it without even asking because she saw the burdens and knew I needed help. Not only are we called to lay our burdens on the Lord, we’re also called to help carry each other’s.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2, ESV
Today I pray for wisdom for all of us in whatever position we’re in, whether it be needing to lay our burdens down or help carry someone else’s. I pray for God to give us the strength to do what is needed, and to remember that we are not alone!
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
