BURDENS: Bearing Burdens and Turn of Events!

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

1 Corinthians 10:13

Wrestling was not my favorite sport in Middle School, but I was blessed with considerable athletic ability and did quite well in it. However, just about the time my little old heart got all puffed up with self-importance, I had the chance to wrestle a boy I did not like. I couldn’t tell you today why I didn’t like him, but I remember his name, Larry Hutchins.

Well, I had just about “whupped” on this boy when there was a sudden turn of events. As I was taking him down for the third time and for the win, our weights shifted and I ended up falling with him on top of me. I threw my left arm out to catch us and my elbow locked as my hand hit the floor; my elbow did not appreciate our combined weight and it dislocated miserably. I suffer from that injury to this day.

God will not ask us to bear more than He has prepared for us to bear; and He will always equip us for the task. However, we are quite capable of loading upon ourselves much more than we are capable of holding up. God is not to blame for times like these.

Burdens, Christianity,
Illustrations, Religion

Loneliness

Lonely Heart’s Club [Hebrews 6:19-20; other topics - Burdens; Hope]

A lonely heart placed a personal ad in an unnamed Yorkshire, England, paper; he sought to meet a lady for outings and friendship. This poor soul received one reply - from his mother.

Jesus tells us to come unto Him if we are weary and heavy laden. For those of us who’ve “been there, done that,” the hope we have in our Lord is powerful beyond belief. Though times and circumstances assault us, the Lord’s solid foundation withstands the mightiest of storms.

How sad it is that generation after generation, in some families, passes on this hopelessness as their legacy. Truly the sins of the parents are visited to the kids to the third and fourth generations.

[Adapted from CHESTERFIELD & DRONFIELD GAZETTE (UK); 20th MAY 1988]