GOD’S PLEA
Matthew
11:28
Come
to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Family vacations always present a challenge, especially
when it comes to loading everyone’s belongings into the minivan. “Over the river
and through the woods to grandmother’s house: can be a stressful experience.
There’s too much baggage. My son and I want to pack our golf clubs. The girls
want to take their “things” and my wife always gets stuck with packing the
cooler with drinks, snacks and medicine along with her sewing and quilting
projects. Often I wonder if we can get in the car after all the baggage gets
loaded. There’s not much, if any, room left. That stuff is bulky and heavy.
Airports are the best place to observe people with
baggage overload. Oftentimes the smallest people have the biggest bags. When
you watch how they attempt to walk while they balance these loads, you wonder
if they’ll make it to the gate on time.
I think these kinds of experiences remind us how heavy
and oppressive we make our lives at times. We carry far too many burdens we
were never meant to bear. Some of these loads come from bad personal decisions
in the past. Others are produced from the pain and heartaches we feel from the
lives of those we love. These burdens are heavy, overbearing and troublesome,
keeping us from walking in freedom.
What baggage is taxing you today? Are you shouldering a
load that needs to be removed? Listen to Christ’s loving plea, “Come to me, all
you who labor and are heavy laden”. Peter encourages us to cast all our
troubles and cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). Our gracious God specializes in load
lifting. He wants each of us to experience his offer of rest and freedom. But
the decision is ours. Will we come to him?
