Burden Relief | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Burden Relief | Previous Challenge Entry
By William Howard
04/05/14
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Burden Relief

The bus passed by and the advertisement was for a local spa, “Chillax” it said. I read it over again, as I was waiting for the light to turn green. I thought how wonderful it would be to drop everything I was doing and sit in a whirlpool and the let the hot water and powerful jets loosen up all of my muscles and release the stress I had. The thought of someone touching me though didn’t quite agree, but relaxing somehow could be on the agenda. Still, I groaned thinking of sitting in the pool and in my mind felt a release, a sigh, and tranquility; sweet surrender to let it all go.

I thought about advertisements and wondered about the Bible. All that I was going through recently it seemed the world of relaxation was far removed. It was one issue after another, one problem after another heaping up into a big pile. I couldn’t get through it all, I needed help, but there was no rescue in sight. The more I prayed, it seemed, the more problems arose. I shut down on praying because I thought it was inviting tragedy and despair into my life. I couldn’t handle it.

I considered not praying to be foolish. He was my best friend. How could I not share with Him the burden of my soul? He knew about it already. It was designed for me. I know God always has His best interests for me, despite what I thought was just the opposite.

I drove along, everyone was going somewhere; we all had a destination. Mine was another hospital visit. I started talking out loud in the car. “I can’t do this anymore! I don’t understand. I am ill equipped to take on such a heavy load.” I was drowning in self-pity, as much as I tried to justify my pain and sorrow and plead my case before Him. It sounded rational enough; anyone could understand my plight and have mercy on me. My case was before the Judge who also had the power to fix it, to make it right, to make all things well again. When everything is out of my control, I went to the one who was able to do immeasurably more than I ask or can even imagine.

I had to pull over, I was choking back tears and my vision was blurred. “My grace is sufficient for you” sounded as if someone were sitting next to me. What kind of answer was that? My mind raced to find a better retort. The Scriptures, memorized and saturated in my brain from years of study, surely could have come up with a better answer than that one? I sat there silent, the wisp of cars passing by, then another verse from Matthew, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I realized God’s word would not take away my problems, my stress, my troubles, but in the midst of them, I could find relief and help, even for a moment. I sat on the side of the road and found my “chillaxing” moment. My tears stopped, my breathing returned to normal and I was ready to press on. I looked in the rear view mirror; my eyes were swollen red and still warm from the tears. I had had my time at the spa, through a short prayer and God’s word reminding me of His eternal comfort and care.

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