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February 2010 The Reverend Philip Banks writes: The Burdens we carry Do you ever ‘people watch’? I was
waiting with a clergy colleague for a train last month, and found myself
with a few minutes to spare. The first person I noticed was a young
woman and all that she was carrying – or, rather, all that she was
trying
to carry – whilst running for her train. Her luggage consisted of an
enormous rucksack, a suitcase on wheels, a large carrier bag – as well
as a huge sports bag with EULC – ‘Exeter University Lacrosse Club’ –
emblazoned on it. From the bag protruded large lacrosse sticks, which
looked rather like a cross between fishing nets and tennis rackets (as
you can tell, this is a sport that I know nothing about!). It isn’t
every day you see someone loaded up quite in that way – and my friend
and I were anxious that, with one wrong foot she would have toppled over
– or else done a fellow traveller some serious injury with her lacrosse
sticks!
Within a few moments, the next person I
spotted was a middle-aged lady who had sadness written all over her face
– there was no sign of a smile anywhere – she looked thoroughly weighed
down, and even the encouraging look I gave her had no effect. The third
person I spotted was a fairly smartly dressed young man, but who was
shuffling along with his bag, looking rather distracted and world-weary,
and appeared to be suffering from the effects of too much drink. The lacrosse girl carried her ‘burdens’ in a
very obvious way. Everyone could see the difficulties she was coping
with. The other two, however, were far less obvious – clearly something
was wrong, but you would need to spend time to dig deep to find out what
crosses they were carrying, and to discover the cause of their sadness.
Three people in the space of a few moments – all of whom looked
thoroughly over burdened by pressures that they perhaps could not manage
or control. This got me thinking, not just about others, but about
myself: when you take a moment to think, you might ask yourself what are
the things that weigh you down? Or some of your friends or family – what
are their burdens? Our knowledge of being loved by God in Jesus
Christ can often prompt us to respond in a practical way to the burdens
others carry. The response in our church and community to the tragedy in
As Christians, we can also know that we are not alone in the
weights we carry. It is not by accident that we read in scripture “My
yoke is easy and my burden light”1
and “Cast all your anxiety on him for he cares for you”2.
This is not just wishful thinking; rather it can be a reality for all
people of faith. But is does require an intentional act on our part –
that we do genuinely hand over to God the things that weigh us down. And
that is a challenge – to admit that we are not actually capable of doing
life alone. To intentionally depend on God each day, to start each day
with a prayer asking for his leading hand and guiding spirit to be with
you – helps you grow in strength, both for yourself and for those around
us who carry heavy burdens in their lives. As the season of Lent begins this month, may
we each be people who intentionally depend on God each day, and may
God’s touch strengthen our faith and trust in him that we may follow his
purposes for our lives. With my prayers and every blessing to you
this coming Lent and Easter.
1
Matthew 11:30
2
1
Peter 5:7, cf Ps 55:22
Image © www.chriskasch.co.uk |
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