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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Lay My Burdens Down

I recently was listening to the most recent album release by Disciple, their album called, "Southern Hospitality" and on there is a track called, "Lay My Burdens" which describes exactly what I am having to do these days. To understand, I have provided a link to the music video exclusively premiered on Tangle (formerly GodTube), click here to watch it.

Lately, with rehearsals being three to four times a week on top of a different show in the midst of rehearsal for another show, I have been feeling so overwhelmed by it all. I have done my best to hide, but tonight it really came out and my mind just keeps going back to that song and the verse in Matthew 11:28 that says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." I have been working and working, hashing out the details and pushing myself to work through issues I've had during rehearsals; I'm feeling burned out but I can't quit because I have rehearsal tomorrow night and a work project on Saturday. I've been feeling stressed and not really wanting to do the very thing I should do. I know I may not have as busy of a schedule as my spiritual siblings, but going from having nothing to do 24/7 to what I've got going for me now is a major change that's taking a toll on me. As if that wasn't enough, my health is still sub-par and in some ways I feel like it's holding me back. I don't want to complain too much about that though, because I'm not writing this to complain about how "bad" I've got it.

God tells that we will face hard times, but that doesn't mean we have to be overburdened and worn down by our circumstances. In fact, we know from Isaiah 40:31 that when we wait on the Lord, He will renew our strength. We don't have to always try and make things happen, God says wait on Him, and He will renew our strength. From this, I know that God is looking to restore me if I will just turn it all over to Him and wait for His guidance. Tonight, while I was emptying myself of everything before the show, God showed me just how easy it can be to surrender my burdens to Him. I seriously just felt a great peace flood me and that was when I said to God, "Okay, okay... Lord, I surrender it all to You. I give it up to You, just take it from me and deal with it in the way You want it handled."

Friends, I just want to encourage you that if you have been feeling overwhelmed, burdened, or just exhausted and worn out from the stuff you've got going on in your life that you can go to God with it all. None of it is too trivial, because you're His precious child and He loves it when you come to Him with even the littlest of things. He wants a relationship with His children, and if you don't know it yet, a relationship isn't always about serious stuff with deep philosophical implications. Sometimes it's good to go off about the small things. It may not always be easy to just give things over to God, but when you think about it like carrying a heavy backpack full of bricks, it just seems to make sense to give that backpack over to someone who is stronger than you could ever be to carry it for you. Maybe you feel like you don't need to let anyone carry that baggage for you, but another way to think of that baggage is really as garbage. That weight you carry is only bringing you down, and it won't make you stronger, unless you turn it over to God who can elevate you to place of restoration, peace, and understanding.

I pray that you all have a feather-light yoke rest of the week. Be blessed!

Until next time,
De Facto

1 comment:

  1. I needed that today. Thank you.
    Now on to finishing three papers in five hours and 10 minutes.

    ReplyDelete