Lay Down Your Burdens

I was driving home two weeks ago, after picking up my van from the garage. It had had some shifting issues which we thought was the transmission but, thankfully, it ended up being something more minor even though the bill was still quite costly. My husband's truck had transmission issues at the same time which did, in fact, end up being the entire transmission. As you can imagine that bill was even more costly. We thanked God that we had the money to cover the repairs, and at the same time, we would have liked to save that money to use for something fun or more practical. I drove past a man who appeared to be homeless. He was pushing a grocery cart packed full of things. Not only was the cart filled to the top, but he also carried a backpack and several items in his arms. He was about to ascend a hill, and the load appeared to get very heavy. Of course it was understandable why this man was carrying, assumably, everything he owned with him, but it gave me a picture of how we try to carry everything with us as well. We strive to work harder to climb the ladder of success, we buy our big houses and work to fill them with all of the latest and greatest treasures. The problem is that the more stuff we get, the more work and money it takes to maintain it which turns into an exhaustive cycle. 

On social media, I see these accounts of people that live out of their van and travel from state to state. That looks so freeing to me. Realistically, I don't think I would want to adopt that lifestyle at this point in my life, but the idea of not being tied down is a breath of fresh air. Freedom will come if we start to be content in what we have. It is counterintuitive to what we see in the American materialistic culture. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he told them to ask God to "Give us today our daily bread." Matthew 6:11 (CSB) He didn't instruct them to ask for abundance and store up for the days to come. As a matter of fact, in Luke, Jesus tells a story of a rich man who wants to tear down his barn to build a bigger one to store his grains and goods so that he can take it easy and enjoy himself. "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared - whose will they be?' That's how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:20-21 (CSB) 

We are also not to worry about days to come. The bible tells us that God feeds the sparrows and clothes the lilies of the field with such beauty. Surely, we as His most loved creation, made in His image, will be taken care. Matthew 6:33-34 (CSB) tells us, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." What is the first part of this verse? Seek "first" the kingdom of God. As we turn our focus to God and things that will last an eternity, we will begin to seek after the things that are also important to God and our thoughts will become heaven focused. It will take a conscious effort because, as I've said, we are taught that success comes with things and the gathering of wealth. Look around you. What are the "things" that make you the happiest? I would venture to say they aren't things at all, but the relationships you have in your life. Lay down your burdens, take a deep breath, call a friend, go make some memories and thank God for his faithfulness.