Jim May | living at His place

THE BURDENS AROUND ME

It was in the middle of a very hard week, taking care of my dying 94 year-old mother in her home in Kansas City. There were tedious financial documents to tend to, lots of clean ups and life ending decisions to make. The contradictions of good memories and bad, regrets and accomplishments, emptiness and fulfillment filled my thoughts. I had emotions I didn’t even understand myself, let alone explain them to others – even my wife.

I had to run some errands to the bank, to the grocery store, mail a letter and get a new computer power cord. I had the only Colorado plate among many Kansas plates. I was a stranger in the town in which I grew up. Somehow the roads seemed wider when I was a kid in Shawnee Mission. Now they all seem crowded with homes that weren’t there then. Our old home is unrecognizable having been remodeled by three different owners. The old horse stables had become tract homes. I was an alien in a familiar city. What a strange feeling.

(Funny thing, though, the malls were the same as in Denver and every other city in the country. Home Depot, Best Buy, and the grocery store were all the same. Items were even stocked in similar isles. The Geek Squad counter was on the left in Best Buy the same location as in Denver. Man makes things the same. God makes his people and creation unique.

At one point, I pulled up behind about ten cars at a stop light on a busy off ramp. It was a cold day and exhaust fumes curled up into the air - warm cars in a cold city. Then I wondered about the people in those cars. What are their burdens today? Are they looking for a job, trying to do a job, or are they retired? Are they listening to liberal or conservative talk radio? Music? What kind of music? Elevator music (my favorite), rock, country, jazz, or classical? Are they facing burdens like me? Is someone going to visit an aging parent? Is someone trying to make groceries stretch for a poor family?  Is someone just going for a computer cord like me? Has someone lost a loved one recently? What about a divorce? Sickness? A dissolving pension in an economic crisis? Are they fearful, happy, sad, worried or just numb? Probably all of the above.

All these thoughts passed in just a few seconds. Then the light changed to green and we all had to tend to the duty of stepping on the gas, making a left turn, and getting on with our errands. Isn’t it funny how life always boils down to the mundane? Even in the midst of burdens, we have to pay attention to stepping on the gas. We have to do the next little thing. Make the coffee, get in the car, start the car, pull out of the driveway, think about the next turn, watch for oncoming traffic. On and on it goes until the errand is done.

I thought of two verses: “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him for he care for you.” (I Pet. 5:6,7) We are all humbled in life no matter what our standing, wealth, or rank. If we exalt ourselves, we will be humbled. If we humble ourselves, we will be exalted. We are all going to experience humility. When we do we can “cast all our cares on God, because he cares for us.” I love the word “all.” It includes any burden listed above or any burden not listed. Fill in the blank with your own burdens. “All” is “all.”

How do I do that? My litany goes like this:

Lord, I can’t handle this.

Lord, I am not going to try and handle this.

Lord, You handle it. Then I do the next thing (stepping on the gas, making the turn, etc).

You know what? He does handle it! When the light changes, step on the gas and watch God handle it. You take the next step. He handles the rest.

The second verse was: “Do not worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow has worries of its own. Sufficient is for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt. 6:34) God gave us one day at a time, because that is all we can think about and absorb.