Lightening the load

Matthew 11:28-30 - " Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."

I really love this passage, I think it’s one of my favorites. It really became clear to me one morning as I was driving to work on Wilshire Blvd. There was an old homeless lady pushing a shopping basket. This shopping basket was filled with all sorts of junk. It was piled high with garbage, things tied to the outside of it. So much stuff that it was literally the size of a Volkswagen Bug. She couldn't see over it or around it. After stopping to rest, the old lady again began to push on the handlebar of the basket. It was obvious that she was straining under its enormous weight. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the mountain of trash began to move down the street. I sat at the stoplight in awe. Isn't that just like us? We have our shopping basket full of life's garbage and tasks that we obsess over, straining under the enormous weight. We can't see over it or around it, we just put our shoulder into it and try to keep it moving. This is one of my failings. It’s been one of those weeks for me. All this dang rain (I HATE RAIN!), traffic, leaking roof, termites in our house, taxes, personnel problems at work, kids misbehaving, “check engine” light glowing on my truck’s dashboard. I’ve got a full shopping basket and I need to stop obsessing over this garbage. “Lord, help me to walk away from this shopping basket and slip on Your yoke.”