Bent Beneath My Burden
The Lord lifts up all who are bent over (Psalm 146:8, NET).
The women of the Kikuyu tribe in Kenya make their way slowly down the sun-dried path, bent beneath loads equal to 70% of their body mass. The large baskets they carry on their backs are supported by a strap across the forehead.
A doctor working among them once told me that this habit often results in a permanently grooved skull as well as curved spine and confined pelvic space, making childbirth more difficult. Yet day after day they can be seen in brightly colored wraps faithfully bearing their tremendous burdens, bent over as they go.
We all carry burdens. If they could be measured tangibly, they might equal twice our body weight at times. And like the Kikuyu women whose very skulls are impacted by the heavy burdens they carry, our loads warp
The Lord lifts up all who are bent over.
He is in the business of making burdens light.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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).
The Lord renews our minds when we trust him with our burdens.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you (Isaiah 26:3).
He will straighten the bent places in our lives.
The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth (Isaiah 40:5).
What burden do you carry today? Stop by the dusty road and let the Lord help you take it off your back. With gentle hands, He will lift you up. As you give Him your burden He will give you His peace to soothe your troubled mind. While you walk on together with Him, you will find that He has straightened the crooked places and given you rest for your soul.
Lord, I bring my burden to you today. Lift me up with hope and give me peace. Amen.
The Conversation
I make it a practice to “unload” each evening as I feel myself drifting off to sleep. Although I often unburden myself during the day, it is that last sigh of the day when I utter my “Amen” and submit my day’s efforts, good and bad, to heaven. In doing so, I am able to find true rest.