Have you ever seen a hitchhiker standing on the back of a pick-up truck or flatbed trailer? Imagine him standing there, holding a large backpack. Then imagine he has two or three other heavy bags as well. The hitchhiker is weary and exhausted, but he just keeps standing there with all his packs.

Wouldn’t that be ridiculous? Why wouldn’t he sit down, take a load off and set his packs down?

As silly as this sounds, don’t we do that too, in a way? We get on board with God, yet we still hang on to all our burdens and even other people’s burdens.

Is it time to finally sit down on God’s pickup and unload some of that stuff you are carrying?

Peter, Jesus’ follower, writes Cast all your anxiety on him for he cares for you. (I Peter 5:7)

Jesus cares. For you. And he wants you to unload.

He himself invited us by saying, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

That means Jesus has a new way for us to live—setting down our backpacks full of worries and unsolvable problems (and other people’s worries and unsolvable problems) and looking instead to him.

You see, he is inviting us to a new metaphor—two oxen yoked together, working together, yet one is in the lead. The second ox doesn’t control or worry—he just follows the lead ox and goes the direction he is going.

Jesus says our souls can unwind and rest when we cast our cares on him and look to him for leadership moment by moment. He claims his way is much easier than the way we have been doing it.

Are you weary? Are you burdened? Take a load off, unpack each item with the Lord, and ask him to show you his way.

Sitting and unpacking,

Ellen