Liberty has been my walking buddy since we returned from our vacation. Early, early in the morning we leave as we walk. Talking and exploring the roads around our new home.
Each morning we have stopped to watch multiple mounds of ants outside a park near our home. There are teeny ants and giant black ones.
There are multiple colonies, each so busy working, working, working. Carrying things here and there. Every ant seems to have a purpose.
This morning I spotted a large ant carrying a load probably five times it’s size. It’s load was absolutely enormous. This particular ant wiggled and fell one way. Then it attempted to carry it again and fell the opposite way. Struggling with all it’s might to carry the object much larger than itself.
I stood mesmerized by the effort the ant was putting into carrying that ginormous object.
When suddenly the Lord spoke so clearly.
He said, “Linny, do you see the ant struggling with the load that is so enormous? That’s just like you. The heavy burdens on your heart are enormous. But Linny, you are not supposed to be carrying them. Although you have been insisting on carrying them. Give them to me, Linny. Give me all your too-heavy-for-you burdens. All of them. I will carry them for you. I’m big enough to carry them all with ease.”
It was powerful.
I took a picture of that ant, but for some reason my phone says it is too large {how appropriate -haha} to send to my email so I can download it and post it with this post.
Anyway, I searched and found this picture to illustrate the point.
Can you seriously imagine carrying those three boxes pictured above around all day long, every.single.day?
Me neither.
Just like the ant, I have been carrying heavy loads that I was not intended to carry.
Burdens that I really can’t do a thing about.
The kind that you can’t really talk about either.
Unexpected turns that I didn’t plan on.
Yet, He knew about the unexpected situations all along.
He saw the future when I didn’t.
And He wants to carry each of the burdens.
And He wants to carry each of yours as well.
All of them.
It’s what He does best.
He not only is willing to take them, He wants them.
The financial concerns.
The loss.
The broken heart.
The betrayal.
The disappointment.
The hurt.
The grief.
The bankruptcy.
The stress.
The difficult co-worker.
The ridiculous behavior of someone close to you.
The health issue.
All of it.
So here’s my true confessions:
I gave Him my burdens this morning.
Every last one of them.
{And I have taken them back once today, so I promptly gave them back to Him again.}
Now it’s your turn.
Give Him your burdens.
Let Him carry them.
He never intended us to carry them.
Not even for a minute.
“Cast your burden on the Lord,
and He will sustain you”
Proverbs 55:22a
Linny,
Just what I needed to hear today. I too have been living with this and I am going to give them to him.
Ouch!! I just got my toes stepped on. How often do I give it all to him and how often do I take it all back again. Why do I think He needs my help to aid him with the problems of life. Blessings dear friend; Praying that we both are able to turn it all over to Him to handle for us. My load is lighter right now!
He DOES sustain us! So strange — in the midst of the crisis, it doesn't *feel* like He is sustaining us, and yet we survive the crisis and come out well on the other side. We give Him the glory! We don't know how we would have survived without Him.
I am so so thankful to read this timely reminder it has ministered to my heart.
Oh my, do I love this post!!
Yes, yes, yes! He will take them! And all I have to do is give them! Praise God!!
Now for the giving!
THIS!!! Was absolutely an answer to prayer today!!! THANK YOU. I just got done tell my hubby about how I am praying specifically about, this and that and this and that…(You know how it goes) and then I said, "there is on part of my life right now that I can handle on my own." I have never had that before. All the "burdens" aren't even bad, there is just a lot of big stuff right now. I am sooooooooooooooo grateful you posted this!
I love this post Linny!!! Thank You!!
Thank you Linny. In your list of burdens you spoke specifically to me…well, the Lord did!
And so…I give them to God and ask for the trust to NOT pick them back up! (and I am so grateful for His grace when I do).
I appreciate you!
Oh linny thank you for this reminder! I too will give my burdens to the Lord. He's right, we can't carry them, but HE can!
Blessings,
Suzanne
Isn't it amazing that God can use what to us is an insignificant little insect to demonstrate His ability to carry our burdens for us, if we just give them over to Him. Thank you Linny for the illustration and the reminder of what God can do if we just let him. Can't wait to get to meet you in person at the wedding!
Sarah
Linny, thank you for reminding me how God can use, to me, an insignificant little ant to demonstrate how He wants to and will carry our burdens if we just turn them over to Him, and leave them with Him.
Can't wait to meet you in person at the wedding!
Sarah D.
WOW…. Thank You
I love this illustration SO much!!!! This would be fantastic to share with kids, and idea of how we can rely on God! Thanks for the beautiful reminder!
Love!
http://insunshineandshadowsmew.blogspot.com/
I SO needed to hear that today! Thanks!
You have NO IDEA how much I needed to read this just now. Thank you so much. 🙂
Oh my Goodness, I guess you could consider me a lurker:) I have followed your journey since the fire and have rarely commented. Not that I don't often think to but just don't (really I have no excuse). So many times God has used the words you write to speak straight to my heart. Today was one of those times and I had to tell you Thank You! I absolutely needed that reminder, seriously I was having trouble falling asleep so I picked up my phone to see if you had blogged today(makes me sound like a stalker:) and it was exactly what I needed, like maybe you were talking directly to me. I love how God does that. Thank you again for sharing and someday I'm going to fill you in on the rest of the story of how God has used your testimony here to greatly impact my life. Your on my list of "famous"people I want to meet:) Good night and God bless you! P.S. when I was in middle school my family started taking 5 week trips touring the States every summer till I graduated. We would venture somewhere different, not always sure of where we would end up but always ready for adventure. (We traveled on motorcycles)West was always my favorite (I live in Michigan). Our biggest trip was going to Maine down the coast a bit then over to California! I remember when we headed East to come home that year and crying because I wasn't ready for it to end. Treasured memories with my family.
Oh my Goodness, I guess you could consider me a lurker:) I have followed your journey since the fire and have rarely commented. Not that I don't often think to but just don't (really I have no excuse). So many times God has used the words you write to speak straight to my heart. Today was one of those times and I had to tell you Thank You! I absolutely needed that reminder, seriously I was having trouble falling asleep so I picked up my phone to see if you had blogged today(makes me sound like a stalker:) and it was exactly what I needed, like maybe you were talking directly to me. I love how God does that. Thank you again for sharing and someday I'm going to fill you in on the rest of the story of how God has used your testimony here to greatly impact my life. Your on my list of "famous"people I want to meet:) Good night and God bless you! P.S. when I was in middle school my family started taking 5 week trips touring the States every summer till I graduated. We would venture somewhere different, not always sure of where we would end up but always ready for adventure. (We traveled on motorcycles)West was always my favorite (I live in Michigan). Our biggest trip was going to Maine down the coast a bit then over to California! I remember when we headed East to come home that year and crying because I wasn't ready for it to end. Treasured memories with my family.
Thanks for the reminder. Needed that tonight.
Thanks for the reminder. Needed that tonight.
This came at just the right time. I thank you and pray for you and with you.
Lori
Thank you Linny! I needed that word so much! One daughter leaves the nest this week 🙁 and another hd surgery last week:(
Not to mention all the daily hapenings of our lives. I needed to be reminded that I am not alone. Love your encouragement!
Well said, Linny! Have we truly given Him our burdens or are we still struggling against Him like the ant against its load?
Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing what God spoke to your heart. He uses you in so many ways to spread His love. You are such a gem!
A good word, friend. I love how God uses all the things around us to speak truth into our hearts. Love you.
I needed these words today!! Thank you Linny for the remider that he wants all of our burdens. I have had a loss in my family, and its been a tough one, I have a really big family and you would think that dealing with death as often as i have wiould make the emotions easier… this one has been really tough for me!! So thank you form the bottom of my heart for this reminder!!!
Amen. What peace (!) when we cast them to Him.
such a beautiful verse! I, like you, have a bad habit of carrying all my burdens instead of giving them to God. It is something I have to work on every day.
Heather
We discover that giving God our burdens is not necessarily the hard part, but letting go of them even as we place them in His hands! It's like hanging onto a thread and being dragged around all day long! Give it up, and let go! You can never truly take back a burden given to God. It's your choice if you want to waste your time hanging by a thread!
Thank you for posting about the ants. I used it and wrote on my blog about it. I have a foster child named Miss Priss (her nickname) and today we are going to an emergency ISP for her. I have no idea what will happen but I realized through your blog post and reading James chapger 1 that I have to give her over to God. In fact, I need to give Him a lot more than that but for now she's all I can give Him. Thank you for writing about what God is teaching you. He used you to get to me.
Linny,
You will never KNOW how MUCh I needed this today…
Thank you!
C~
Such a powerful word! Thank you