I've always been the type of person who takes on the burdens of other people. For most people, this can be a really good thing. For me, it hasn't always been. I take them on TOO much and it affects my health at times. Casting my cares at Jesus' feet has always been a struggle for me. Not because I don't trust Him, or think that he can't handle them for me...I think it's because there is a part of me that wants to control things and thinks that, by giving up control, I will lose control all together. That may sound strange to you and believe me, it's a really frustrating part of myself that I have to work very hard at changing.
There was a point in my life where I tried to do this on my own. Not a good idea. What I ended up doing (in order to protect my health, or so I thought...) was shutting off emotion all together when it came to what was happening around me. I turned off the news, stopped looking at the headlines of the newspapers, and avoided circles of people where world topics were always the topic. I just "didn't want to know" anymore. That was just as bad as taking it all in; even worse maybe. I became too desensitized. However, I didn't lose my compassion for others and I kept praying for those around me whom I was in contact with. So, I thought I was still doing a good job, being a good Christian. But, I was still not doing what I was supposed to be doing...praying for this world.
Folks, if we don't pray for this world, then who will? If we, as Christians, become too desensitized and only focus on our own tiny little world of family, friends, and co-workers, then are we really doing our job? Well, yes, but only part of it. 1 John 2:3-6 says, "We know that we have come to know him (Jesus) if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." To walk today as Christ did we must obey his teachings and follow his example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people. Not just some people, ALL people.
Later, in 1 John 3:16-20, John says, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." What he's saying here is that when we feel guilty that we are not loving others as we should, we should remind ourselves that God knows our motives as well as our actions. Maybe I can't fly to Haiti right now and help all those poor people like my heart desires, but that's ok! I can pray. God knows I can't fly to Haiti, but he also knows my heart. He knows that if I had the means, I would get there and I would help them. Stop feeling guilty for all that you can't do and start doing what you can do, pray.
The Lord said in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
Getting back to taking burdens upon yourself...it can be a good thing. As long as it doesn't drive you down into depression, or steal your focus so much that you start to shift your focus away from God and His power. God is ultimately in control, even though the things that are happening all around us can sometimes make us question that fact. But, it is the truth. Nothing happens in this world that he doesn't already know about in advance. God is not surprised or "caught off guard" when tragedy strikes. This opens up all the questions then of, "Well, if God knew this was going to happen, then why didn't he stop it?" Those are not questions that we need to be asking. We need to be trusting that God knows what's going on and that he has a plan.
God loved the world so much that He sent his one and only Son to die on a cross for our sins; past, present, and future. I've said this before, he knows the end from the beginning. Only he knows the day that this world will end. No one can predict that. He holds every one of your breaths and every beat of your heart in his hands. If that doesn't "awe" you, then I don't know what will. We should be totally and completely dependent on Him. He knew you before you were born and brought you into this world for a reason, for a purpose. If you aren't sure what your purpose is, here it is: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Pretty simple, huh? We are the light of the world. WE are how this world is going to see Jesus. If we get desensitized to the happenings of the world around us and just give up and let someone else pray for them, it will be catastrophic. Our prayers move the heart of God. Your prayers could save lives you don't even know. You CAN make a difference in this world, just by praying.
It's ok to grieve for others. Whether it be the people in Haiti, the mother who lost her baby in the womb and had to deliver a stillborn child, the homeless man who died on the side of the road, your good friend or family member who is fighting a life-threatening illness, the list goes on and on. It's ok to cry when you pray, or even when you're not praying. Just don't camp out in the grief. Have compassion, but don't let the weight of your problems, or others' problems, consume you to the point of making you ineffective for Christ. We are all in this together. I will leave you with a very familiar verse. One that I daily strive to fulfill. "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." ~ Psalm 55:22
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