Too heavy

During the Mexico Olympics of 1968, many were shocked to see the world's fastest female 800m runner, VERA NIKOLIC of Yugoslavia, drop out of the semi-final race after only 300 metres and leave the stadium, apparently overcome by the pressure of carrying her nation's only hope for a medal.

Fortunately, her trainer decided to follow her. Vera was on her way to a bridge to commit suicide as she could no longer take the pressure of competition.

We can behave in a similar way. We carry our hardships and anguish around with us. At times we are carrying too much weight: too many problems, too much resentment, too many frustrations. Something has got to give.

God says that the solution isn't for the problems to disappear - much as we'd like them to - but that we give them to him. Yes! Even though it sounds so childlike and simple. He wants us to give him all our baggage for one reason only: he is taking care of us.

Think what happens when a problem weighs us down. We take it everywhere with us, don't we, making it impossible for God to sort it out for us. When we live not as God intended, but instead are worried and bitter, we are actually saying indirectly to God, 'You aren't able to handle this.'

It's like when a child takes a broken toy to daddy for him to fix it, and in no time at all he's asking for it back because he thinks daddy can't fix it anyway. Do you know what? We ought to put into God's hands all those situations that get us down, that make us feel churned up inside ... and leave them with him! We have to learn to be much more dependent on him and stop carrying all that baggage around with us!

Psychiatrists' books are full to overflowing with appointments from people with problems with nerves and deep depression, just because they store things up inside and won't let them go! So many people are full of bitterness, spite, problems, anxiety. Don't they know that they can rest in the Lord?

And what about you and me? Do we know it? Now is the time to begin obeying God in this area. So come on, let's pray; let's talk to God and leave everything at Jesus' feet. Then we can know his rest.