Burdens and Shoulders

             There's an old Jewish proverb that says "God gives burdens; also shoulders."  Five words offering paradoxical truths about God; five words offering an emphatic definition of God.

            "God gives burdens."  Taken alone, these three words could very well make a person want to run away from God rather than stay with Him.  And many, looking at their own lives—or the world around them right now—might even blame God for allowing tribulation to fall upon them.  They look so long at their troubles, or the troubles of the world, that before they realize it, they can see nothing else but an unjust, merciless God and a world no longer fit to exist in.

It's a good thing the proverb doesn't stop there.  Instead, it goes on.  "God gives burdens; also shoulders."  The shoulders He has given us are the shoulders of our family members and friends, our colleagues and mentors, our teachers and pastors, our church family—and of God Himself.  They are the shoulders we see ahead of us as we listen and learn with—and from—each other.  They are the shoulders we sense behind us as we listen and learn with our families and friends.  They are the shoulders we feel next to us as we listen and learn with our colleagues and fellow church members.  And they are the shoulders we feel under us, lifting us up as we listen and learn from the still small voice which comforts us:

            “Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion [or social distancing]?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.  I’ll show you how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  Or as the KJV more familiarly puts it, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28

            Isn't that a beautiful promise?  I am grateful every day that God has provided so wondrously for all of our needs.  For the past couple of weeks I’ve been thinking about the tremendous burdens so many are carrying right now during this pandemic.  There are the national, state, and local leaders.  There are the scores of health care workers on every level trying to heal and comfort those who are sick or who have lost loved ones.  There are all the service providers who are keeping the country going as much as possible.  There are the teachers and pastors, trying to educate and minister from a distance.  There are the parents and other family members trying to keep things sane and together at home.  And there are some (many, globally) who are mourning the loss of loved ones and friends.

            On the surface, it may seem that we are not managing very well.  Every day the deadly numbers rise.  It is overwhelming.  It is easy to feel alone when we are at such a distance from most, if not all, of the people we usually spend time with.  And yet, we are not alone.   Even at a physical distance, there are those shoulders that are there for us, lifting us up, praying for us, helping us manage and carry our burdens.  That knowledge should make it easier to sleep at night, make the thought of this and every other day bearable, even though they are still difficult.   

            Paul tells us in Galatians 6:2 that we are to bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ—the law of love—of caring for your brother, your sister.  But while you are being there—being a shoulder—for someone else, let God be there—be a shoulder—for you, and let Him work with you.  The Psalmist tells us to give Him all our cares (Ps. 55:22).  And Peter says to "Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

            So.  God gives burdens.  But also shoulders.  You see, without the last half of the proverb—without the power of God working in our lives—we can do nothing.  Our burdens would so weigh us down that we would not be able to move.  But with those shoulders, both human and divine, there is power.  Power to be and to do.  Power to change and be changed. 

Yes, God gives us burdens.  But also shoulders.