Weary and Burdened? You Do Not Have to Be

Weary and Burdened? You Don't Have to Be

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie

September 30th, 2015 copyright

Talking to several friends and those in need recently, I have noticed a common denominator-weariness and burdens. The business and trials of this life often make one weary and/or burdened, however, the antidote is found in the Bible. Matthew 11:28-30 says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (NIV) 

As I read this passage, I discovered several key words: come, learn, give, yoke, gentle, humble and rest. 

The first thing we must do when weary and burdened is come or run to the one that can really help-Jesus. The good news is he is the expert in fixing problems, always has time and never gets tired of us bringing our troubles to him. Do you run to God when you are tired and burdened? 

The second thing that is important is that Jesus loves to give  rest in times of need and promises to give it to us when we come to him and do things his way. Rest is a gift our heart can experience if we choose to trust him and give our anxieties to him. Rest makes us fresh and able to handle things better. It is a weapon we can use.

God’s  way of getting rid of weariness and burdens is to partner with him. He says to “take his yoke and learn of him.” A yoke is a wooden beam, something strong and enables us to pull a heavy load. We live on earth but God offers partnership and heavenly help. Learning his ways means not insisting on doing things our way or by ourselves. When I was raising my three children, it was always so much easier on everyone when my children were eager to learn and teachable. When they insisted they knew everything, did not listen to our council, consequences often followed.   

God’s council for us is to be gentle and humble in times of testing, trials, weariness, conflict and anxiety. I was in a tough situation one time and felt God say, “be gentle and humble.” Handling things delicately diffuses heated situations. I have also learned that laying down my right to be right helps me win in situations. 

Years ago, I was frustrated with my late husband about something. As I prayed about it, I felt like God said, “Kathleen, you are right in this situation, but can you lay down your right to be right for the sake of the relationship?” I had to choose in that moment and the moments that followed, if I wanted to do things my way or God’s way. Choosing humility over pride always wins and gentleness and humility brings rest and peace into situations.

I am convinced from personal experience that Matthew 11:28-30 helps in times of fatigue and pressure. I challenge you to practice this passage by pushing weariness and the cares of this world away from you by running to Jesus. Partner with him to carry the load by giving the situation to him, doing things his way  and resting/trusting in him by choosing gentleness and humility. 

Kathleen is a native of the Hill Country and is passionate about helping people discover their value and worth. Contact her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com or visit her blog on www.themaxwellminutes.blogspot.com

Hope Is Vital

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie
Copyright

Not only is hope is vital in times of crisis but in our everyday life. It is necessary to keep us moving forward in any situation. Some of the challenges we often face in life that need the anchor of hope are in business, relationships, health or finances. The Bible has much to say about the subject of hope and even secular society understands the importance of hope. What is hope? How do you get hope? What do you do when hope is gone or what you hoped for does not happen?

Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for something to happen. To not have hope is to have a negative mindset and can be detrimental nor only for the person with a negative mindset but also those around a person that has lost hope.

One of my favorite scriptures is Romans 15:13  which says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.”(NIV) From this scripture we find that hope is part of the character of God. It is part of who He is and who we are as we are made in His image, therefore, we always have access to hope. We also find in this passage that trust in God links us to not only hope but joy and peace. That right there is reason enough to keep trusting God. Who doesn’t need more joy and peace? 

The benefits of hope are amazing. Isaiah 40:31 states, “ But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strengthen, they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” (NIV) In this scripture, the meaning of the word hope is to bind, to strengthen and to wait. Hope in God, not our circumstances, gives us strength and ability to weather extreme circumstances, and keeps us going. Please note that we are instructed to not hope in anything but God.

David commanded his soul to hope in God. Psalms 43:5 says, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”  (NIV) This is a good reminder for all of us to command our inner man to not  rely on our negative feelings, but to put our hope in the one who has the power to change things.

One of the things I noticed at MD Anderson when my late husband was battling a rare cancer, was how all the staff encouraged and spoke of hope and being optimistic during his battle. Medicine is about science and facts and yet all the doctors and nurses we dealt with always spoke of the importance of hope in his battle. That was not really a problem for us because we had a deep faith in God. Although we sought some of the best medical treatment, our hope was in God and our trust was in Him. Even when we came home for him to die, we still had hope in God’s ability to intervene in our circumstances. 

Nine months after his diagnosis, he passed away. Did I get what I hoped for? No, but to me, God never failed me, He was faithful and was with me in the most challenging time of my life. My hope remained in God to heal my broken heart and to help me keep moving forward in my life and purpose. 

God is looking for a people that are optimistic, see the positive and hope in Him. Once we are anchored in hope ourselves, then we can offer hope to those around us.