The Bottomless Pit of Worry...
Updated: Apr 8, 2020
There are an abundance of verses in the Bible the tell us not to worry because God will take care of us. Yet, as humans we tend to think that we should carry the burdens of life all in our own. God has commanded us several times to leave our burdens at the cross- why is it that we think we are supposed to follow some of His commandments and not others?
Do we have so little Faith that we think God will take care of everything and everyone else but us? Matthew 6:26 says “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
I have found that when I finally gave my worries over to God and stopped trying to be the God of my own life, it was then that I was able to turn other things over to God as well. It was as if my worries were bundled with other things.
Like my all of the human “trash” in my life is in the bottomless pit we women call a pocketbook- at least that is what we call it in the south. Some women call it a handbag, a purse, a bag, etc. However, as I have grown older I have buried more and more stuff in my bag to the point that it is now so heavy it hurts my shoulder, and I have back pain, and it is impossible to find anything. It has become such a burden. Of course my kids and my husband have all added to my worry- or um- my bag- as they are constantly asking me “hey mom, can you hold this?” I finally realized that I can’t continue to carry everyone’s stuff.
As a mom and a wife this was the hardest thing for me because that’s what we do, right? We take care of everybody, we carry their load! But God has command me to leave my burdens at the cross and allow Him to carry it all. How can I be a good role model if I try to take that from Him?
When I began to unpack my pocketbook at the foot of the cross and leave my worries with Jesus, I realized just how much other stuff was buried in this heavy bag. There was not only worry, but there was self-doubt- so much self-doubt, there was past sin that I had not forgiven myself for, there was bitterness, there was fear, there were questions, there was sadness. There was so much stuff in that bag. No wonder it was so heavy, and no wonder I couldn’t hear Jesus clearly.
Now don’t get me wrong- I was desperately trying to hear him before I emptied my bag at the cross. It just sounded muffled like there was a bad reception, and I wanted so badly to hear him clearly. Does this mean that I don’t wrestle with any of these things anymore - ha! Ladies I am still a woman... God did not intend for us to be perfect. I do truly believe that He wanted us to be a bit naive, and emotional, and more humble than our mates. At least this is how I have chosen to see my weaknesses at this point. Seriously though, I still take things to God on a daily basis- well if I am being honest on an hourly basis for most of these things; but that’s the thing - I can now take them to God and Leave them there! Once I drop them at His feet, I don’t have to carry them any longer. My life, my husband’s life, my children’s lives, all of the lives that I affect have been drastically changed because of this.
Imagine having a personal assistant that carries all of your baggage for you no matter how heavy and how ridiculous it looks. We are blessed to have a God that loves us so much that He is willing to carry ANYTHING we throw at him without even asking why. He will never judge us for it- He just carries our stuff, loves us, and reminds us that He will take care of everything.
So here is my challenge to you: Try it, Sit down and begin emptying your bag, your pocketbook, your purse, whatever you call it. Empty it all at the foot of Jesus. Tell him all of the junk that you have been carrying. BUT- here is the deal- once you given it over to him you have to be willing to let him carry it. Just try. Talk to Him and leave it with him- don’t try to take it back in the morning, or after the bill collector calls again, or after you go back to the doctor, or after your kids smart off, or after you husband ignores you for the 4th time this week. Don’t go there - keep giving it back to Jesus until you don’t try to take it back. Every time you find yourself trying to take it back- pray and apologize for trying to be in control when you know you can't carry the load, only He can. Then hand it back to Him again.
What do you have to lose? Except the burden of carrying all of that weight yourself.
Serving Him-
Melissa ❤️