I’m not sure what the difference is between a burden and a care, but I’m pretty sure over the past few weeks cares and burdens have been piling up on a lot of us. Some of them are heavier than others; but light or heavy, burdens and cares impact us and weigh us down.
Think about some of the different issues and problems people of all stations of life are facing. As a nation we continue to deal with the Covid pandemic, the situation in Afghanistan, and political problems from local through national happenings. And as families and individuals we are dealing with a variety of challenges.
The last couple of weeks I have noted more and more stress and anxiety in my life as I interact with others as well as watch and read the news. As unsettling as it is, for some reason I continue to follow the news and lament much of what I see and read.
Earlier today I was thinking about all of this and a couple of words came to mind that give me some direction of what I might do. I remembered Bible usage of the words cares (sometimes a verb and sometimes a noun) and burdens.
I am encouraged by Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
I am also affirmed by two similar verses:
“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22).
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (I Peter 5:7).
I am also challenged by Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” It seems to me also that as we put the Apostle Paul’s instruction into practice we will be blessed.
The Bible does not promise that children of God and followers of Jesus will live care and burden free lives – we know that from our own experience. Yet there is some comfort in being reminded that God cares for us and we can cast our cares on him.
We might also keep in mind Solomon’s encouragement that we “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).
I like Dane Ortlund’s question and answer, “What does it really mean to trust God? To trust God means to live your life as if God actually exists and is who he says he is.” That is something for us to keep in mind as we deal with our burdens and cares.
Feel free to leave a comment below and/or share this post on Facebook.
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Pastor Bob Mink 
Bob, What a timely reminder of Gods promise to us. The situation in the world and covid certainly compounds the personal strife I feel. Thank you for the encouraging words. Gil
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As one who lived decades in the world, and for the world. Burdens filled my life, as all my hope was in the thing that created my burdens. And that is a vicious circled. Praise God I came to the Lord, and with that, the same things that had been burdens became cares. In Christ, I live in a partnership of trust and obedience, bound by God’s Holy Spirit. For together, all things are possible. Thanks for loving me.
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Perfect timing. Thank you.
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Bob,
A very timely post. I must say that you are much more brave than I am. I had to give up on watching the news, for the most part, because it caused undue stress. That being said I am still aware of and burdened by all of the things that you mentioned in your article. The scriptures you shared reminded me that rather than fret or stress about things, I have a Savior who is longing for me to leave those burdens with him. I need to pray more and stress less.
Thank you for always challenging us in your posts.
I need it and I’m sure others do as well.
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Bob
Thank you for the timely and thoughtful blog. This are troubling times-I worry about what kind of world we are leaving for our grandchildren. Again-thank you.
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As Christians we do all we can do to help brothers and sisters in need. Just this past weekend a brother in my Bible study group lost the power to his house. Without hesitation I took my generator over to his house so he would not lose the food in his refrigerator. As it turns out his power was out for 30 hours. We do what we can do. As for trust, the answer is in the story of Job. God never said we would not have trials. But he has the answer, good or bad. Just ask the parents of those who died this week in Afghanistan. We must trust.
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This is so perfectly timely. Thank you for this sweet reminder. Another thing that is helping me is to remember to invite Jesus into the mundane and move forward from a place of rest. Miss you, Pastor Bob!
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Bob, I keep telling you to quit watching the news. I gave up on the media over a decade ago. It only brought me stress and hopelessness. I was unable to focus on my ministry and the people around me. Think about it, what can you do about the news? Then look around you and see what you can do for those around you. If we are becoming weary because of the media, then how can we have the strength to help our brothers and sisters who are right in front of us?
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