Good morning friends,
My friend (Bill DeHeer) and I took our sons camping last weekend. At the campground, six, feral wolf boys descended upon hapless weekend nature lovers so we spent Sunday afternoon at a lake watching the boys hunt for salamanders and water snakes. My oldest son became very attached to his Salamander and spent much of the day building a home for it and warning his little brother not to accidentally step on it. The creature became quite a burden for him. At the end of the day he tearfully begged me to take it home. Knowing full well the fate awaiting the poor creature at our house, I finally said, "Let it go, son. It belongs here in the lake."
Next Thursday, I meet with a radiologist to start radiation treatments on my neck, and soon I meet with yet another doctor about the experimental drug to treat the tumors in my lungs. My burdens are heavy. What will these treatments do to me? Do they have a prayer of working? Will we get any rest this summer after such a hard school year? Will I be able to take my family on our August vacations? Will this be my final summer of vacations?
Amid these doubts shouting from the corners of my mind, I heard my own Father's voice quite clearly this morning while reading in the gospels. "Let these burdens go, Son. They belong with me."
At times, I feel guilty about the attention I am getting because of my illness and the outpouring of prayers on my behalf. Many of you have shared your own burdens with me, and some are suffering far worse than I.
2 Corinthians 1:4 reminds me than God is comforting me in my trouble so that I can comfort others in their troubles so let me share with you the comfort God has given to me.
In Mathew 11, Jesus encourages us to lay down our heavy burdens, burdens we were never meant to carry, the burden of anxiety about tomorrow, the burden of worry about our loved ones, the burden of fear of disease and death, the fear that God does not care for us. "Let them all go," our Savior says. "They belong with my Father." Jesus asks us to take up his light burden, and he will give us rest. He will give us his gift of peace of mind and heart (John 14:27). And what is this light burden? I have found it is waking up each morning with a prayer of thanks on my lips. It is caring only for the troubles of today and not tomorrow. It is looking for opportunities to further God's Kingdom in the lives of those around me by speaking a word of encouragement or exhortation, committing to do a small act of gentleness, praying for God's patience because mine is gone, and loving those people that I really don't like right at the moment. I have found Jesus' light burden to be a daily prayer for joy in this day he has given me and for peace as I trust in his love for me and my family. His light burden is a daily prayer for strength and courage in the face of this black disease. Daily, it is a prayer for a deeper faith that I am a child of God and a confidence that when I fall, his everlasting arms are there to catch me (Deuteronomy 33:27). Finally, taking up the light burden of Jesus requires me to give up my illusion of control in my life and peacefully submit to the transforming power of God's Spirit as He conforms me to the very likeness of Christ.
I prayed for many of you this morning. I prayed that we all take up the light burden of Jesus, though it seems far more difficult to do than we could ever imagine. I prayed we let go of those heavy burdens we are nurturing and stumbling beneath. I prayed that we would all lay down our heavy burdens placing them where they belong, in the hands of our Father.
God bless,
Tim
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