Monday, January 19, 2009

Big Things First

I hate moving. I loathe it. I despise it. There are not enough synonyms of hate to describe how much I hate to move. All the stress. All the headaches. All the backaches. Every time we move I swear it's my last. Unfortunately that doesn't free me from the obligations of being a guy who is way too willing to help. Recently we helped a friend move and I can still hear him saying, "Let's get the big things on the truck first." Yeah, you know what "big things" mean. They are the refrigerators, washers/dryers, sofa beds and some insanely heavy coffee table designed to dislocate your toe in the middle of the night. Yep. The first things on the truck and the last things off. That's right, after a day of moving boxes, climbing stairs, tying down loose items and feeling stressed, you still have the big things to worry about.

Sound familiar? To many of us it sounds like our everyday lives. We wake up in the morning and the "big things" confront us. A refrigerator of bills, a sofa bed of health problems and a coffee table of doubt that trips us up when we least expect it. These are the first things we pick up when we start the day. We carry them with us all day long, and after a day filled with pestering people, frantic phone calls and the normal stresses of life, they are the last things we take off. The "big things" cause us to be tired out, stressed out, and put out with life.

Now consider Jesus' words: "Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest... my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Jesus invites you to let go of the appliance dolly and walk with Him. He says, "I will take the burden. I will shoulder the load. Give me the big things of your life and rest." Can he do it? Can He bear such a load? Absolutely! The shoulder that carried a cross to Calvary can surely heft your trunk of worries. The back that bore the load of our sins will easily hold up under the weight of your heaviest fears. Yes, Jesus is strong enough. The question is, will you let go?

Jesus. Give Him your big things first. If you do, it will be the last you have to worry about them.