During a recent ice storm, I was driving down several roads where I had to dodge low hanging tree limbs that were completely weighed down by the layers of ice that had accumulated because of hours of freezing rain with cold temperatures. There was also one road that I traveled where I was met with a tree that had fallen blocking the entire road. The tree had been a fresh casualty of the heavy burden of the ice because it had not been in the road a couple hours prior. I traveled down many roads where I saw much of the same scene; limbs so loaded down with ice that they were nearly dragging the ground, large tree branches and whole trees that had split, or even fallen down from the weight of the accumulated ice. As I saw road after road of the same thing, it began to occur to me how this is a stark visual of how many of us tend to live many; if not all, the days of our lives. We tend to take on so many responsibilities or jobs or tasks; whatever is our ‘thing,’ and then when we are dragging; or even snapping in two from the weight, we wonder why. We tend to believe that we can grab an instant energy ‘whatever’ and keep going to the next thing. This may seem to work for a time; however, what tends to result is the weight of our burdens taking us down to exhaustion, physical illness, or depression. When the ice gets too heavy for the trees or the power lines, they collapse under the weight; this causes power outages, internet loss, and the list goes on. Human beings are similar to this; we can only take so much weight, whether it be from burdens, responsibilities, you name it, and then we collapse under the weight.

I am not trying to guilt anyone; including myself, because I tend to take on more than my humanness can manage. Seeing all the hanging and broken trees, was an eye-opener for me. God knows that He created me to be a visual person and visuals like the ice-ladened trees and power lines, was a great reminder to myself what happens to anyone or anything that takes on more than they were created to handle. I was reminded of a passage from Matthew (chapter 11, verses 28-30)  “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.” I am so grateful for a God that knows well my limitations and has provided a Savior who is willing to take my heavy burdens and exchange them for His that are so much lighter and life-giving. May you choose to release your heavy burdens to the One who has the strength to carry them and allow His rest to give you the energy that you need to carry on with the path that God has laid out before you.