Set it All Down

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28‬ ‭

Grunt.

I can’t really see where I’m going, so I proceed by memory.

Dang, that’s heavy.

And not just heavy. It’s plain awkward.

I’m dropping chunks and odds and ends. If I stop, I’ll drop it all.

Sigh.

I plod on.

My aging shoulders are seizing up. My hands are getting achy.

I plod on.

I’m clearing off dead perennials. Generally, it’s better for the soil to leave the debris where it falls. It becomes a home for beneficial insects to overwinter in, and come spring, it will break down slowly and add crucial organic matter that will give the soil good tilth.

But today I’m clearing away plant material that can carry disease, like peonies – and some that carry seed pods that will be one pesky nuisances if they all germinate in places I don’t want them.

And as usual, I’m trying to carry too much.

Blast.

The jagged bits caught the fence. Now I’m trailing stems and such in all directions. What a mess.

I hear a noise.

I look up.

Brent, with the tractor. Brent, parking said tractor along the side of the garden.

Brent, gesturing to me to dump my load in the front end loader so he can carry it away for me.

The relief is huge.

Those aching shoulders feel it immediately – release. Relaxation.

Freedom!

And I wonder –

What else could I set down?

What might be the relief if I were to set down, say, my unrealistic expectations? My regrets? My fear of failure?

Burdens, all. Awkward, hard to carry, catching on fenceposts and making big messes as I drop them willy nilly because I’m trying to carry too much at once.

What if I looked up?

What if I saw those big arms, ready to carry my whole armful of burdens – and trusted them enough to set it all down?

What would it feel like, to walk with my arms – empty?

I’ve been carrying such a big load for so long, I’m not sure that I’d know how to walk.

But I’d sure like to try…

Will you set one thing down with me??

Father, thank You for promising that You would help us to carry our burdens. Thank You for caring enough about us and our mental and emotional health to offer! Bless us in our attempts to relax our grip on the burdens we carry. Amen.