Not Yours to Carry

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

Exhausted.

On our knees, actually.

How are you doing? Any better?

This time of year always seems like too much. Too much of a good thing. Too many celebrations. Too many milestones. Too much.

But while we say that, recognizing how discontented it may sound, it’s worth asking why. Perhaps it’s because we have made it too much. What begins as a task often turns into an idol where we start to believe that we should carry way more than we were ever assigned. You see, we take this or that and incorporate the idols of perfection, perception, pride, and control. We make much ado about things that were never meant to be the “main thing.” With that, we start to believe that success, big or small, is riding on our very shoulders.

That’s where things take a turn.

We start to carry so much more than we were designed to carry. Our arms grow tired. Our loads become unbearably heavy.

But that’s not the way this was all designed.

Scripture points us toward Elijah. He was a prophet and was called to, once again, rescue Israel from their repeated idolatry and sin. Rescuing Israel and pointing them back to their one true God was no minor task.

Elijah worked. And worked. And worked.

He stood alone against hundreds of prophets of Baal (an idol that was created in the place of God). He watched God send fire from heaven. He called an entire nation back to the Lord.

And then he ran.

Scripture tells us that Elijah “came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord'” (1 Kings 19:4).

He was exhausted. Discouraged. Convinced that he was alone; convinced that it was all riding on him.

He, too, had begun to carry things that only God could carry. Elijah had taken on responsibilities that were not his to bear.

The truth is, we are all carrying things that only God can carry.

That thing that is occupying your every thought right now? It’s not yours to carry.

That incident that you are replaying over and over? It’s not yours to carry.

That child, spouse, or friend that you so desperately are trying to rescue or fix? It’s not yours to carry.

When we find ourselves exhausted, we know that we have begun to carry the things that were never ours to begin with. Exhaustion is often our first clue. It is often the tipping point and a reminder that we have wandered from dependence on God and back into dependence on ourselves. With exhaustion, we are being called once again into His ever-loving, ever-peaceful arms.

So how did God handle the exhaustion of His prophet, Elijah? Did He lecture him? Give him a dose of toxic positivity and tell him that tomorrow is a new day?

No. No, He didn’t.

He gave Elijah food. He gave Elijah rest. He gently whispered to Elijah a new plan; He redirected him. And then He sent Elijah a helper.

Is God calling us, right now, on this very day, to rest? Is He gently whispering to us to eat, regain our strength, and hand over what is not ours to carry?

My friend, you are a soul bound for Heaven. But right now, your soul may be weakened by burdens that were never designed for your hands.

Today, remember Elijah. Remember that God met him right when he needed it. No lecture. No pep talk. Just rest, restoration, and a timely redirection.

Maybe you are there today.

Stop. Assess what is before you. Take the rest you need.

But more than anything, I pray you can see that the true rest you need is found in only one place:

Jesus Christ.

Reflection Question: What burden am I carrying today that belongs to God and not to me?