We all are called upon to carry heavy loads. These loads sometimes seem unbearable. The load we notice the most is our own.
When I was five years old, my dad took me on my first fishing trip. I can remember being so excited about that fishing trip. In my new book, The Dead End Road Devotional, I talk about fishing trips with my Dad.
He took me to the Olentangy River and after we arrived, we unloaded all the equipment from the trunk of the car. Dad loaded me up and I would have to say it was quite a load for a five year old. There is a simple but profound truth about this, that dawned on me as I wrote the book.
Dad carried everything else. He was my hero back then but I did not give a single thought to the load he was carrying, just my own load. I have learned and I think we all should be aware and consider the load that others are carrying even when our load is heavy.
Dottie M., a really good friend of mine and one of my mentors taught me something while I was pastoring. She told me that every person that comes through the doors of the church carries a huge burden. She challenged me to see each of them with a huge load that they struggled to carry. She told me part of my job was to recognize they were all carrying burdens and if I could help them lay down their burdens, I should.
The load I was carrying at five years old seemed very substantial but Dad would not give me a load that I could not carry. I did not give much thought to my Dad’s load, but he carried the rest.
Isn’t that like our heavenly Father? We all carry heavy loads but God is there to help us. He would not give us more than we could carry. Think about it. Our Father carries all the rest.
Hope you pick up the book when it becomes available on Amazon.com. We are hoping it will be available by Christmas 2019.