Flashcards, Motherhood and Chasing Emus~Thursday

Of course, there are burdens that He gives us–ones that come from His heart and His love for people around us, but, often, we pick up burdens God has not asked us to pick up.

I am referring to the burdens of hopelessness, fear, the feelings of not measuring up, and a standard of perfection that so many of us are under.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:30, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  

This does not mean that life is always amazing or easy, but the crushing weight that so many live under is not from Him.

It steals our joy, our hope, and our lives.  

People who have walked intimately with Him have been in horrible situations, but have not been burdened internally, and others have had the easiest situations and walk with an almost unbearable weight.  

He is enough.  

He is our burden lifter no matter what situations we find ourselves in.  

We can rest in Him. He is forgiveness when we need it, and when we need to give it.  

We don’t have to be afraid of the future for our kids.  

We don’t have to be afraid that we will mess them up.  

We do have a big responsibility and what we do as parents matters, but if we  lean into Him, He will provide all that we need.

What if we could trust that He will lead us and give us wisdom?  What if we could parent in freedom instead of under a heavy burden?

Psalm 68:19 says, “Praise be to God Who DAILY bears our burdens.”  Do you see that?  He daily bears our burdens–that means all of our burdens—the big and the small.

If your child is in jail, or if  your child hates flashcards.  If your child is dying of a disease, or if your child is sick with a cold.  If your spouse is gone forever, or if your spouse is gone overnight. If your life is falling apart, or if your day is falling apart.  If you’re alone, or if you’re just feeling lonely. If you’re overwhelmed, confused, depressed, at your wit’s end, or tired of wearing spit up and sweats.

Daily means both the big and the small.

I wish I would have learned earlier what it looked like to let God shoulder the weight I was carrying.

I wish I would have even known how because it makes all of the difference between giving up and walking in hope.

It makes the difference between walking in joy and spiraling into depression.

It makes all the difference on days when things are not looking up.

When we parent in freedom instead of fear or hopelessness, it gives us the ability to love our kids unconditionally because our worth is no longer tied to their actions.  This can only happen through intimacy with God.

God,
Please show me Your heart for me. Help me to see that You are intimately involved in my life.  These weights that I have been carrying, I give to You. Thank you that You daily bear my burdens.  That means that this burden I am carrying today, I can give to You, and You will give me the wisdom to walk this through.  I choose to put my hope and my trust in You. Amen.  

​Author:  Wendy Gerdes

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