The Lord Can Handle It
1 Peter 5:7 and 8 says,
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper [kairos] time:
Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.
How many cares are you carrying around with you right now? Maybe you feel pretty carefree at the moment. Things are going well with you and you are feeling contented with life.
If that is happening to you, you are truly blessed. But I dare say, if you are honest with yourself, you are carrying at least a few burdens and cares around.
Why do I say this? Because you often sub-consciously pick up the burdens of others and you end up making them your own.
Many years ago, I went on a bus tour in Cape Town with my late husband. After riding for quite a while, we stopped to stretch our legs in a cute little park.
I walked around for a while admiring the gorgeous gardens, and then I saw a statue of Atlas. If you know the story, he was a Greek god who carried the world on his shoulders.
Just for fun, I went over to the statue, and I pretended to be like Atlas, holding the world up in my hands. My husband thought it was funny and took some pictures. But in reality, this is not a fun situation at all.
Maybe you are a caring person who likes to help whoever you can. You don’t like to see people suffering or being in trouble, so you want to step in and do something about it.
That is wonderful because far too many people just ignore others who are having problems. But here is what you need to realize. You cannot be like Atlas and carry the world.
If you are able to do something to be a blessing for others, by all means do so. But then, when you are done, you need to let that care go and give it to the Lord to carry.
The Lord knows and understands what is going on with each person out there. And He loves it when you are His channel of blessing in this world.
But sometimes it is hard to meet the needs of each person you come across. If that is the case, you might end up carrying their burden spiritually, and that can really weigh you down.
You do not need to be like Atlas and carry the world on your shoulders. It will crush you if you do. But we have someone who is quite capable of carrying the cares of everyone: the Lord Jesus, of course.
So each day, give Him any cares or concerns you are carrying, as well as anything you are carrying on behalf of others. Hand them over to Him, then rest in Him and His abundant love and grace.
Know that you are very special to the Lord. And whatever you do as a vessel of blessing to others, the Lord will reward you for. So trust Him to take every care. Then take His hand and walk into the good things that He has for you.
Many blessings,
Daphne Crause
Apostle and Servant of Jesus
