Burdened
He walked along the darkened forest path, shouldering his heavy burden. It swayed left and right as he strolled deeper and deeper into the woods. But, while he walked along, the weight upon his back grew. It grew heavier and heavier. And after a short time, he was struggling to put one foot ahead of the other. Yet still the weight grew.
Dragging his feet ahead in some semblance of walking, knees bent with the heavy load, he grimaced with effort. Every step was a painful struggle against the great weight of his burden. And after a little while longer, his back was bent nearly horizontal with the massive pressure the load pushed onto his shoulders. Yet it grew heavier and heavier.
Finally, when he had walked as far as he could walk… When the weight of his burden was more than he could bear… When his own strength could no longer support him, he stumbled. Weary and spent, he fell to his knees and knelt. Turning his gaze to the tree blocked sky, he cried out saying, “This is more than I can bear! I cannot go through these woods with this load! I am too weak to shoulder this burden!”
And the Lord heard his plea and took the burden from off his back and threw it into the woods where it was no more. The man didn’t need to carry the load. The Lord had already taken it through the forest ahead of him. The Lord had long ago already carried it upon His shoulders.
The man rose again to his feet, free from the weight upon his back. Offering praise and thanks to his Savior, both continued down the forest path together.
The forest is the great forest of Life that we all must pass through on our way to our destination. The man is you and I, and all those who live in the world. The burden on our backs is our sin. We carry it through the forest of Life. And yet, we constantly add to it. We are always adding more to our burden. Eventually, the very weight of it drives us to our knees, and we cry out for a Savior. And we have One Who hears us. And our Savior has already taken our sins and gone through the pain and misery that we deserved. And because of that, all we have to do is accept His hand, and leave our burden of sin behind us.
Dragging his feet ahead in some semblance of walking, knees bent with the heavy load, he grimaced with effort. Every step was a painful struggle against the great weight of his burden. And after a little while longer, his back was bent nearly horizontal with the massive pressure the load pushed onto his shoulders. Yet it grew heavier and heavier.
Finally, when he had walked as far as he could walk… When the weight of his burden was more than he could bear… When his own strength could no longer support him, he stumbled. Weary and spent, he fell to his knees and knelt. Turning his gaze to the tree blocked sky, he cried out saying, “This is more than I can bear! I cannot go through these woods with this load! I am too weak to shoulder this burden!”
And the Lord heard his plea and took the burden from off his back and threw it into the woods where it was no more. The man didn’t need to carry the load. The Lord had already taken it through the forest ahead of him. The Lord had long ago already carried it upon His shoulders.
The man rose again to his feet, free from the weight upon his back. Offering praise and thanks to his Savior, both continued down the forest path together.
The forest is the great forest of Life that we all must pass through on our way to our destination. The man is you and I, and all those who live in the world. The burden on our backs is our sin. We carry it through the forest of Life. And yet, we constantly add to it. We are always adding more to our burden. Eventually, the very weight of it drives us to our knees, and we cry out for a Savior. And we have One Who hears us. And our Savior has already taken our sins and gone through the pain and misery that we deserved. And because of that, all we have to do is accept His hand, and leave our burden of sin behind us.
