God's grace in the everyday: Bearing our burdens

Over the years I have noticed many tow trucks with a distinct feature: a hydraulic arm shaped like a cross. However, only recently did I realize that the "cross" on a tow truck actually offers a much stronger reminder and measure of reassurance than just its physical resemblance to a cross. 

In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus says "Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." 

The "cross" borne by the tow truck is much like an old farming yoke attached to draft animals; that cross is intended to move loads and  carry burdens (cars) that no individual human being was intended to haul or carry, and bears them for distances we never could, no matter how much help we might get. 

All the things we strive to carry on our own; our concerns, emotions, stress, addiction, anxiety, success, relationships, careers...those are the car with the flat tire, the dead motor, the overheated engine, or the downright wreck. We can cast all such cares on Him, we can let Him take that vehicle of sin, shame, and brokenness off our shoulders, and instead we can follow Him knowing those things are no longer ours to carry, if we just rest in His presence and ride with Him in the "cab of the truck." 

Next time you see a tow truck with a cross on the back, take courage in the reminder that Christ is ready, willing, and beyond able to bear whatever burdens you are carrying, now and forevermore. 

The Return of Hope

When it left I could not see, for I was blinded by pain

What remained was consumed by the desire for gain

Alone I sat among friends for many years thereafter

My heart felt hollow, and yet inexplicably hard 

I looked on life with frustration and bitterness

The only sign of life I still felt inside was sadness

I faltered on paths that once seemed firm and sure

I might contend the paths were sure, yet surely I was not

What had anyone done to me? Little that I could see

In truth, my selfish desires were my own worst enemy

Pride of intellect and hidden lust mixed with laziness

A poisonous mix, leading to an empty, self-righteous image

A mix blinding present and future while tainting the past

This wilderness felt indomitable and exceedingly vast

Early attempts to share hardly scratched the surface

I misunderstood the power of trust; all I felt was despair

Nights uncounted, I asked myself if any hope remained

Even prayer seemed little help, for my heart was still chained

Again, I wondered if any embers stayed alive in the ashes

Could the flame of hope ever be reawoken in my life?

When it came I could not see, for I was blinded by pain

My heart still wrestled with the old desire for gain

Yet somewhere along the way, light had pierced the dark

Slowly, the darkness and blindness began to give way

Long maligned, trust--yes, trust--began to grow anew

This trust came slowly, yet inexorably it still grew

Old pride, impatience, and laziness could not withstand

Every step towards trust revived the lost embers of hope

This slow reforging of trust was no design of mine

Trust and its companion of hope were divine in design

Make no mistake, trust strikes like steel to make a spark

But hope rekindled is a flame sprung to life for all to see

Hope is a light which darkness cannot comprehend

Even if hope seems to fade or die, do not believe its the end

For those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength

In due time, He will restore your hope and revive your heart