Killed by A Paint Can

“Do you want me to carry this for you?”, she asked as my body weakly slumped over due to the weight of the paint can I was carrying. 

 

In that moment I had two choices: 

Either I could pick up my load and carry on in pain or I could hand it over for someone else to carry. 

 

I wondered, would it make me weak to give up my load for someone else to carry? Or did she simply see my weakness and pity me?

Did she think I was incapable of carrying my own load? Was I giving up? What would the others say?

 

I quickly shut down the thoughts and replied, “Yes”.

 

I recognized that the thoughts and questions I was having were and still are ways the enemy attacks me. He causes me to see situations differently than they really are.

 

My teammate wanted to help me. She saw me struggling. Even though she knew I was capable of carrying my load, she wanted to help me by taking my load. In this she was caring for me. If she did not care she would have continued on with out offering a hand. She would have seen me struggling and chosen to ignore it.

 

Instead, she was compassionate, not judgmental. She was loving not pitying. 

 

God used this situation to show me a truth I needed to be reminded of.  When I offered to carry the paint earlier in the day, I would hopefully have had a better attitude had I known the lesson the Lord would show me through the situation. But then again, had I approached the situation differently, God may not have taught me what He did.

 

Here’s the story of the paint cans from the start. Earlier in the day my team and I had discussed the need to buy more paint to finish the two preschool classrooms we were working on at our ministry sight. Two of our team members volunteered to go to the store with our ministry host to get more. They left around 3 pm and were supposed to return about an hour later to continue working. Due to the flood, the condition of the roads was not good. They ended up having to travel to a different place to get the paint. They ended up taking longer than planned and asked us to meet them at the church in downtown Trujillo. We had to teach English class at 7.  So we met them downtown and after English class, four of the girls decided to head to the market across the street. Unknowingly, this left only 3 of us at the church to carry the 5 paint cans to meet them at the bus. 

 

Because it had been hours since our paint can conversations, I was oblivious to the fact that there were paint cans to carry. The two who bought the paint quickly reminded me of its presence. I was, at the time, grinning from ear to ear. The smile was rapidly washed off my face and I loudly sighed. You see, I knew how far we were from home. It was a good distance to travel. Because of that fact, I had only brought a purse to church, but now I was left to haul paint cans back.

 

I should have anticipated this but I wasn’t mentally ready for hauling them back. Nevertheless, I picked up two of the paint cans and began the walk to the bus stop. At the bus stop the rest of my team joined the three of us. I quickly reminded them (as if they could not see) that we had paint cans to carry with us. They took some of the cans and I ended up having one. So I picked up my load and began the long bus ride home. 

 

As we approached our stop around 45 minutes later, I had again forgotten my paint can. So I picked it up and tried to mentally prepare myself to carry it home, which was around a 10-15 minute walk. I hopped off the bus and started walking so fast that I ended up leaving most of my team in the dust. In my head, I needed to get home as quickly as possible so that I could put the paint can down. If you’re wondering how heavy the paint was, it was heavy. Especially for me who weighs 115 pounds soaking wet with little to no upper body strength. It felt as though I was carrying two times my body weight. It was so heavy my posture became hunched forward trying every way possible to ease the load.

 

The further I walked, the slower my pace became. And as I slowed more and more, I became aligned with two of my teammates. One of whom was carrying a paint can and groceries, the other was also carrying groceries.  This is where the conversation about the paint can occurred. This is where she asked if I needed help carrying the can.

 

After saying yes to her carrying my load, I exchanged the paint can for her groceries. Immediately, I felt the weight lift off my shoulder and I sprinted off into the distance. I slowed down though, not wanting to leave them in the dust and waited for her as she had done for me. I jokingly said how now I know what Jesus meant when he says, in Matthew, to ” take my burden, for it is light”.

 

God reminded me of how much he loves me in this experience. He loves me enough to not only take on my burdens but to exchange his yolk for mine. He doesn’t want to see me struggling through life with the weight of the world on my back, just as my teammate did not want to see me struggling with the weight of a paint can. If you will let Him, God wants to do the same for you.  He wants you to bring your problems to him no matter how big or small. He wants you to trust him to take care of you.  He loves you so much and you are his best creation you think he wants to see you struggle, no way! He wants to give you rest in exchange for your paint can. 

 

I want you to think what paint cans/ burdens are you carrying right now in life? 

Is it a financial burden? Is it emotional trauma? Is it family issues? Is it stress from work? What is it? 

 

 

 

I want to encourage you today, to give the things you are carrying over to God. It is only weighing you down and causing you problems. Is it worth it to hold on to these things when in exchange you can have rest for your soul? Peace in your mind. No more stress.

 

It is time to put your paint can down, God has something light for you. 

 

 

God Bless 

 

 

Also Please keep me in your prayers as I’m not yet fully funded for this trip and my organization is planning to leave South America to go to Africa. I know God wants me here and he is doing some awesome things in these places. A total of 12 people so far have accepted Jesus as their personal savior here in Trujillo, Peru. This is the reason God has me on this missions trip and I would like to continue on to Africa but I need your help. Would you please donate $20 dollars today and help get me closer to my goal. You can do so on this page by clicking the orange button and making a one time donation or monthly donation. Prayerfully consider donating and partnering with me to spread the good news so more people can join our family. We have some news that is to good not to share. 

 

-Shakila