Who Carries Your Sorrows?
Last week, while reading through the verses that take us through the crucifixion of Jesus, I came upon Simon of Cyrene as he was pulled off the street and forced to carry Jesus’ cross all the way to Golgotha. I noticed that Simon carried Jesus’ cross and then after Jesus completed his work on that cross, he turned, and in a spiritual sense, carried Simon’s cross. Or we could say he took Simon’s burdens, his sorrows, his sins upon himself. Simon could let them go and trust Jesus.
We are all offered such relief.
In Matthew, 11:28 Jesus is quoted as saying, Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Jesus offers to take the cross, our burdens, off our backs. He’s eager to carry those burdens for us, as offered in Isaiah 53: 4, Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
Do you have a heaviness that you have been unable to lift from your shoulders? Maybe it feels like uneasiness or pressure. Perhaps it feels like sorrow guilt or regret. We all have situations, people, and concerns that we carry.
We could think of each of those burdens/sorrows/concerns as a rock collected in a box. Each rock could represent something sorrowful that has stayed in your heart that you can’t seem to let go of. Perhaps you’ve been carrying it for a long time.
What kinds of memories and actions fill your heavy rock-laden box? Do you sense a question mark regarding your worth? Does fear keep you from freedom? Is there an attitude you can’t quite get to the root of? Disappointment, resentment, heartache, grief, envy, fear, self-protection, stubborn strong-willed sin, and much more can weigh us down. These are some of the kinds of burdens Jesus wants to free us from so we can be at peace.
The first rock I would pick up would be the sorrow I experienced in the absence of a dad who would stay and make our family his highest priority. Even though I had a mother who loved me well, I still found myself wondering if I was enough or if I mattered at all. Pushing my feelings away and avoiding conflict seemed the safest way to navigate my little world. Instead of a healthy view of discord, I felt the need to protect myself against tension and arguments. I still find myself wanting to step away from possible conflict, but I am learning to pay attention to what that fear of conflict feels like in my body. Instead of just ignoring it and trying to jump in to divert the conversation so it will smooth out, I’m trying to step toward it. Ahh…it is hard for me! But I am trying to be honest and tender about what happened to cause my aversion and then be aware of what I need to do to act and react in healthy ways.
So, I lift that rock of self-protection and unhealthy avoidance of conflict to God. I ask him to help me not be afraid of healthy disputes. I pray for wisdom and maturity, freedom from fear, and respect for myself as I weigh the situations I find myself in.
Could you find a quiet place, where you could think through what your “carrying” has cost you? How it has hurt you? How tired you are of keeping it? For how long have you been pushing through, trying to ignore how much it has taken from you? But Jesus wants you to come to him with your burdens.
I openly affirm getting professional help for the deeper issues that have wounded and agonized us. Counseling can be so revealing, offering insight and tools that can lead to healing! Some of my favorite people find wisdom in talking with a therapist, a spiritual director, or a trusted wise pastor. There are also some things we can do in addition to the help we seek from others.
If this burden has hung heavy in your heart for a long time, perhaps it is time to let it go. Maybe it has served you in some way…gotten you attention or sympathy. But you know it is time to let it go. Hold that imaginary rock in your hand. Name it. Maybe you need to cry over it, grieve what it has done to you and feel the agony of letting it go. Writing these things down will offer new insight and awareness, so I HIGHLY suggest you find a safe place in which to unload your burdens on the page. As you write and pray, if you are ready, offer that sorrow/burden to God. You could throw a real rock into a lake or ocean to actually see and feel the throwing and sinking. He knows what to do with it. He will take it. You can let it go.
Remember Jesus’ invitation: Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take a deep breath and feel the pieces of freedom starting to take form. Feel the relief that comes with unburdening the heavy load from your heart.
If/when the sorrow comes back, offer it back to God. Every time it bears down on you, turn and remember that Jesus bears our burdens and carries our sorrows. We can heal. We can be free.
As we choose other heavy rocks to let go of, perhaps something beautiful will begin to form. Maybe a lovely work of art will remind us of how great it feels to offer our burdens to the only one who can truly take them and give his peace in return.