BLJ: This is a very timely chapter. Many are feeling burdened these days due to financial issues, anxiety and sickness. Today, read and apply to lose those burdens.
WHAT TO DO WITH OUR BURDENS
How may a troubled heart be cured? That is the question of all ages. All kinds of cures and remedies have been offered to struggling humanity, only to disappoint them by failing to answer their heart cries.
That God wants us to be free from heart crushing burdens there can be no question of doubt. Among the first words that Jesus spoke after the resurrection were those addressed to a broken-hearted woman, when He said: "Woman, why weepest thou?" In other words, since the resurrection, the question might be asked to any child of God: "Why weepest thou over troubles, heart aches and misunderstandings? Christ will overrule them and work all things out for your good."
Let us notice some of the false remedies that are offered to cure the troubled heart:
One is the doctrine of Epicureanism, which says: "Forget your troubles." In other words, plunge into all kinds of pleasure and drown out your troubles; take in everything that is exciting; drink deep from all the cups of worldly pleasure; forget your sorrows and troubles.
Lord Byron was sitting in his library one day lost in a deep study. Some one said to him: "Lord Byron, what are you studying so seriously about?"
He answered: "I was sitting here counting up the happy days I have had."
"How many do you make them?" was then asked.
"Only eleven, and I am wondering if I could ever be able to make them twelve."
Lord Byron drank from the cups of pleasure that you and I will never be able to drink from. He soared to heights that we will never be able to soar to. Yet in his last days he cried out that life was a failure to him.
Still another class tries to get rid of trouble by denying it and trying to make themselves believe there is no such thing as trouble. The only trouble with this theory is, it just doesn't work. We can't deny facts. We can't deny the fact that we are in the midst of a broken-hearted, half-damned world, with humanity staggering under heavy burdens. We cannot deny the fact of sin and sorrow. This class tries to hypnotize themselves by benumbing their sensibilities and deadening their feelings, but this does not cure the heart of its troubles.
There is another false remedy held up to cure the troubled heart. That is the doctrine of the Stoics. The doctrine of the Stoics is to steel the heart against all feeling; to brace up, put away all tears and refuse to cry; to deaden the feelings and make the heart like a stone. Yet this will not cure troubled hearts.
There is only one cure for a burdened and a troubled heart, and that is found in the words of our text: "Cast thy burden upon the Lord." The original puts it, "Cast thy burden once and for all upon the Lord." The act can be performed once and for all.
Quit digging up the past if it has been forgiven and put under the blood; let it stay there. You have no more right to dig up your sins than you have to uncover the sacred dust of your loved ones. It is a reflection on Christ to bring up the forgiven past. Stop brooding over some mistake or human blunder. Remember the greatest of souls have made grievous mistakes, yet have used them as stepping stones to something higher. Laugh imaginary troubles out of their countenance. Refuse to entertain negative, gloomy, discouraging thoughts. Scatter sunshine; be cheerful, hopeful, and, above all, practice the presence of God. Keep flooded with Divine love. Forgive all and love all, and you will find your fears and troubles will vanish like the mist before the blazing sun. Keep sweet; sour people are always sad. Spend some time each day in silent prayer, and breathe in the Divine nature. Before going to sleep each night, empty the mind of all unpleasant things, and then meditate upon the goodness, faithfulness and love of God; then relax and float out into the land of sweet dreams.
Cast thy financial burdens upon the Lord. It is really surprising to know how many people there are who have plenty and are worrying over financial problems. They remind me of a fellow who said that he had enough meat to run him all next year, and enough pigs to fill the smokehouse the next year, but when that supply gave out he didn't know what on earth he would do. Here he had three years of rations in sight and was worrying about starving. God would rob heaven if it were necessary to see the soul through that fully trusts Him. He who feeds the little sparrow will take you through, if you only trust Him.
Then, there is the burden of bereavement, the taking away of our loved one. There is no sorrow that cuts so deeply as the sorrow of separation, or being left alone; to come back from the silent city of the dead to vacant rooms where silence seems to reign everywhere. Some go down with an awful crash before bereavement and end their lives in sorrow and sadness. This is wrong. There is no sorrow on earth but what heaven can heal.
A young lady lost her husband sometime ago. The blow was so great that she went into a state of gloom and spent her days moping around in darkness of soul. Her health was fast failing her, and her mind was gradually being affected. She would sit for hours in perfect silence with that far-away look in her eyes, as though she were staring at something. A minister who knew something of psychology and the power of the mind over the body, visited her and tried to comfort her. At first she refused to talk to him. Finally, in order to awaken her out of her stupor he said: "Your husband didn't love you." She straightened up and with a voice of emotion and intense feeling replied: "He did love me." "Well, if your husband loved you and he is in a better and happier world, do you believe he would want you to spend your life grieving over him? Don't you think he would want you to be happy?" She saw the point and in three weeks was perfectly well and happy.
There is nothing that will crush the life out of anyone and destroy their health like carrying around some old, heavy burden. Why try to fight your own battles? Take Jesus into your perplexing problems.
He will give you beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. He will turn your midnight darkness into day and start the heavenly choir singing in your soul.
Still another form of burdens which nearly crush some is misunderstandings. Our enemies will naturally misunderstand us and take delight in it, but the hardest burden to bear is when our friends misjudge us, especially our religious friends. This is indeed hard to bear. Some people sour over this and give up the fight and allow it to embitter their spirits, but we might as well make up our minds we are going to be misunderstood. The old saying is, "They will knock you if you do and they will knock you if you don't." No matter how we live we will be knocked. The very best men and the most useful have been those who were knocked and hated the most. Thank God, we can cast even this upon Him who was the most misunderstood Being that ever lived, and He will sustain us.
Poor struggling humanity, quit fighting a losing battle; cast your burden of sin, or doubt, or disappointment, or regret, or past failures with yourself, upon Him, the great Burden-bearer, and do it right now.
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