For
you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, (1 Peter 2:21)
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)
It
is not uncommon to hear someone observe the difficult circumstances that
someone is dealing with and state, “I
just don’t know how they can hold up under all of that.” The underlying thought is that there is a
limit to what any single individual can tolerate from stress in life; that
there is a “breaking point” for everyone.
And yet, there are those who calmly and steadfastly move on regardless
of the circumstances. How do they do
that?
Possibly
that individual you see courageously continuing on in life has learned some
things about handling the stresses of life.
They have learned a way to claim the promise of God from I Corinthians
10:13.
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience,
raised a glass of water and asked, "How
heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from ¼ lb. to
1 lb. The lecturer replied, "The
absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I
hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have
an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an
ambulance."
"In each case, it's the
same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." He
continued, "And that's the way it is
with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."
"As with the glass of
water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When
we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. So, before you return home
tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up
tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're
carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later
after you've rested."
God knows that we are not
able to handle all that life can bring upon us in our own wisdom or
strength. He wants to be our resource
and provider. Peter encourages us to
learn to lay our burdens down and let God care for us. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him,
because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)
Did you notice what is
required for us to release our burden?
We must lose our pride and humble ourselves to God. It is foolish to believe that we are big
enough to handle life without Him.
Stop sometime today and hear
the call of Christ…
"Come to Me, all who are weary and
heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn
from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR
SOULS. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew
11:28-30)
