We have a terrible habit of picking back up the things that we lay down, if we truly lay them down in the first place. Every burden or care that we cast on Jesus we seem almost eager to take back upon ourselves. We may not even recognize some of the burdens that we carry. Too often we let the things of this world creep in and steal our joy and replace it with anxious toil, not realizing the freedom that we have in Christ. During our time in Nepal God showed me all of the things that I was clinging to and that they were actually doing more harm than good. He had shattered a mirror that only reflected what I saw and not what He saw. What I came to find out 6 months later is that I had been picking up the broken pieces of that mirror and putting it back together. God had to once again and smash the distortions.
Why do we pick up the things that we lay down? Why can’t we enter into the rest that Jesus promises the burdened and heavy laden? I asked God these questions and he showed me that it was a lack of faith. True faith allows us to rest because true faith places all things at Jesus feet. True faith allows us to look at ourselves in the mirror and say with absolute certainty, “God loves me!” True faith assures us that we can come to God the Father exactly as we are and be accepted. True faith lets us come to the Lord with empty hands ready to receive rather than hands filled with dirt thinking we have something to give. True faith frees me to be a nobody in this world because I’m a somebody to God.
For the past month and a half God has been pressing this into my heart like I’ve never felt before. God took the truths that I know in my head and started writing them on my heart. Although I never would have said it, I was seeking acceptance from God that I already had and feared that I wasn’t good enough for God to love or that I didn’t love God enough for Him to love me. My prayer life suffered and there was very little peace in my heart. But then God reminded me that we love Him because He first loved us and that nothing can ever separate us from His love, not even me.
When we finally lay down at the Lords’ feet all of the things that we are holding onto and leave it there we find freedom. And it’s when we experience that freedom that we truly feel how much God loves us.
