Today’s Word from Deacon Amy
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:18
A friend shared an incredible story about a sheep this week. It seems that this sheep had been wandering the wilderness in Australia for quite some time. He was obviously once a domesticated sheep – they could see the marks left by some long-ago tags in his ears. Generally, sheep are sheared once a year. This poor guy had obviously gone some time without a shearing. When a rescue farm got a hold of him, they clipped over 75 pounds of wool from his body. To put it in perspective, the average sheep produces somewhere around 7 pounds of fleece per year.
Can you imagine how amazing this poor guy felt when he was released of that 75-pound burden? His rescuers said that he was actually underweight because the massive amounts of wool made it hard for him to see, and hard to maneuver into a good position for grazing.
Sometimes it feels as if the burdens that we carry have become a part of us, just as this ram’s wool was a part of him. As we continue to attempt to carry these burdens on our own, they have a way of slowly growing and weighing us down more than ever.
We need to remember, though, that we do not need to carry these burdens on our own – the Bible reminds us again and again that there is help. Galatians tells us, “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” When you are feeling heavy burdened, turn to your family, your friends, your church; we are here to help. We are here to carry these burdens together.
We remember, too, the open invitation from Jesus: Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Turn to God in prayer. Lay your burdens down, and they will be lifted from you.
This beautiful sheep was not able to carry the burden of his ever-growing fleece; he needed help to remove the weight. We, too, need to seek out help at times. Sharing the load and lifting the burden are a part of Christian life. When we can help others, we do; when we need assistance, we should gratefully receive it.
Be like the sheep; give up your burdens, and rejoice.
Keep smiling friends,
Deacon Amy
*Photos from usatoday.com
