A Picture of the Burdens We Carry
Back in the 1970s, public transportation in many rural villages in my country was limited. People traveling to the capital often depended on finding a free ride. Because the roads were poor, those who could afford vehicles often chose trucks. One day, a young man was fortunate enough to get a ride in the back of a truck. He carried a suitcase on his head and, out of gratitude, told himself, “These people are kind to take me in. I will not burden them any further with my luggage, so I will keep it on my head.” He traveled all the way from his village to Kigali still carrying the suitcase.
It is a true story, and there were many similar examples. We may feel sorry for that boy, yet the story mirrors our own lives. How often do we continue carrying burdens that God has already invited us to release? We have been given the free gift of salvation, our sins are forgiven, and yet letting go of past failures and future worries can still feel very difficult.

A Testimony of deliverance
A young man once shared a testimony about his mother. He said, “My mom had always been a somber woman. She rarely smiled and constantly worried about both small and great matters. One morning, I woke up and found her in the kitchen humming. Surprised, I asked her what had happened.”

She replied, “Last night I had a dream. I was walking when I saw demons coming to me. They dropped ugly, foul-smelling bags on me and walked away. As I continued walking, the burdens grew heavier and heavier until I could barely move. Then suddenly a man appeared. He was tall, radiant, and full of light. He asked me why I had accepted those bags from those creatures. I had no answer. Then he began removing them one by one. When he removed the last one, I felt light and joyful, and I began to sing. I woke up singing, and here I am still singing. I will never accept those burdens again.”

This testimony offers a vivid picture of what happens when burdens are surrendered instead of embraced. Freedom begins when we stop agreeing to carry what God never intended for us to keep.

Guarding Your Peace and Joy
Sometimes we come to God in prayer and lay our burdens at the foot of the cross, only to pick them up again before we even leave the place of prayer. We continue carrying the weight of past failures, grudges, and wounds, as well as the pressures of the present and the uncertainty of the future. These burdens can rob us of peace and joy, and at times they can even affect our physical and mental well-being.
For a Christian, peace and joy are precious treasures. Before the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus gave us this gift: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Peace and joy belong together. They are like two sides of the same coin and cannot be separated. Guard your peace carefully. Fight for it. Do not let any circumstance steal it from you.
 
A friend once confided in me that she had been overwhelmed by one difficulty after another. She continued to fight courageously in prayer. Then one day, after receiving yet another piece of bad news, she felt she had reached her limit. The moment that thought entered her mind, she rose quickly, ran to her prayer closet, and declared, “Devil, you will never take away my peace.”

How to Cast Your Burdens
You cannot go back and change your past, and you cannot step into the future to control what has not yet happened. But you can surrender every burden to God and receive the freedom He offers.

Here are simple ways to do that:
·  Pray and place your burdens before God honestly.
·  Meditate on His Word and hold on to His promises.
·  Sing praises to the Lord, especially when you feel overwhelmed.

Sing in the morning when you do not know where to turn. Sing in the evening when you are unsure about tomorrow. Sing again and again, and let praise lift the weight from your heart. And when the enemy tries to place those burdens on you again, you will know what to do.

When I started this weekly devotion, it was not to add another preaching in your inbox. But as I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit, I wanted to share real life experiences and life lessons the Lord allowed me to gain. Many years ago, I was rushed to the hospital in a very excruciating pain. I arrived at the ER around 4 am. The doctors present refused to give me any painkillers despite my supplications. They said they might undermine medical tests and further complicate my condition in case I had a kidney problem. I was later diagnosed with a kidney stone. While I was still in that room agonizing, alone without any family or friends, I thought that would be my last day. But I was not concerned in any way, not even a little bit. Instead, I watched everyone around me in good health and wondered if they were thanking God that they are not in pain. I wondered if they realized that not feeling pain is something we have to appreciate. I realized there and then, or the Spirit allowed me to realize, that I really never understood what I mean when I pray God, I thank you that I’m in good health. My prayer had always been sincere, but my gratitude for being in good health had been rather shallow. It is one thing to be grateful for a miracle of healing, and it is another thing to wake up every day healthy and feel that same level of gratitude.

As believers, we pray every day and thank God that we are well, we have a roof over our heads, we can put food on the table and clothes on our body. These are the most basic needs for human decency, so we may feel it is normal to have them. It is only when we lack them that we appreciate that these basic needs are good gifts from heaven. During Covid-19, I watched thousands of people queueing at food banks in the US because they did not have food. These were not immigrants; they were Americans whose families had lived there for centuries. Though the crisis due to the pandemic made it worse, the issue of people needing Government support to eat has always been there. In Canada, many elementary schools offer breakfast because, according to the Country official statistics, two children out of five do not have breakfast. Most of us can’t even imagine what it means to be without food. Our parents, grandparents and great grandparents did not lack food, so how can we know? But the truth is that having food on the table is not something to be taken for granted, it is a gift. Because there are those who try really hard but still can’t get enough to put in their bellies.

It is not that I want to teach you the things you already know, to be grateful for small things. I neither imply that your praises do not stem from a very grateful heart because you have never known hardship or are not facing one today. I am instead encouraging you to take your life of praise and offering to another level. I remember the peace offering in the book of Leviticus 7. That offering meant just that; it was a free-will offering for someone at peace. It was brought to the sanctuary out of the overflow of the worshipper’s heart. Therefore, once in a while, from time to time, without your pastor asking for it, without there being a fundraising event at your church and without there being a miracle or a special favor God granted you, of your own volition, give a peace offering to God. Tell him, I thank you that I have food, that my country, family, and neighbours are doing fine. Surprise God with an offering. Yes, people in the Bible have surprised God with their offerings! (Example of David in 2Samuel 7; example of Salomon in 2Chronicles 7). You will see how your relationship with God will be impacted.

A friend of mine who is a judge told me of a story of two “servants of God” who were in court, one accusing the other of trying to steal his ministry. Their case was being handled by another judge who was not a believer. The judge asked one of the complainers: “Didn’t you say that you are a servant of God? Then what is your problem?” Unfortunately, the plaintiff did not grasp the sarcasm in the question. What the judge implied was actually, “if you are a servant of God, then the ministry practically doesn’t belong to neither of you, so there is no need to fight because the owner of the ministry, who is God, will take care of it.” The heart of the problem is this: every believer must not only know that they are children of God but also be able to live that identity. If you know for sure that you are a child of God, there are things that should not concern you, and some battles that you should not fight because God always takes care of His own.

The above verse doesn’t have a good context because of what follows in that scripture. A young lady was raped by her half-brother, and as a result, there was bloodshed in the family (2Samuel13:1-33). The Bible calls Jonadab, the man who spoke those words, a very crafty man, meaning cunning and deceitful, the very same characteristics of the devil. Nevertheless, I like those words because they challenge us to remember our identity and its impact on our lives. And as I said above, when you know who you are in Christ, when you grasp the implication of that truth, you can’t have a troubled heart. Your heart is at peace, and it manifests in how you look, speak and act. When I was still a young born-again Christian, I used to think that being carefree was a sign of irresponsibility. I would hear mature Christians repeating over and over that, “God knows, and he has the answer” when facing problems. I hated hearing those words. I would wonder how someone responsible could not be worried when they do not know how they will pay their rent or their children’s school fees. How will they get treatment if they fall sick? Thank God I have since grown up. Now, I understand that it is because they have mastered the art of casting their burdens on Jesus, for He cares for them. Today, I try my best to put my feet in their footprints. It does not mean we live irresponsible lives but that as we juggle through the struggles of life, we do not need to have a sullen face and swollen eyes because of many sleepless nights; instead, we are calm and hopeful, expecting our Father to open the right door at the right time.

You see, worrying does not equal looking for a solution, as many confuse it with being, and not worrying does not mean being inactive. I wish we could have many positive “Jonadabs,” who will tell us every morning, “aren’t you the son/daughter of the King of kings? What is there to be worried about?” Anxiety in the heart causes depression (Proverbs 12:25 - NKJV). What is true, what you will hear over and over, is that God will never abandon his children to face things that they are not able to handle; he will not put you in a situation that will crush you into pieces. This is what we hear often: “we are living in troubled time”. Yes, there are troubles around us but “Let not your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). For you are a son/daughter of the King.