Too Heavy to Carry

Bible Reading: Psalm 38:1-4

Grounded and bored, Piper slouched in the chair as she watched her baby sister play. Little Lexy, growing tired of her blocks, made her way to Piper’s backpack that leaned heavily against the brick hearth. Lexy picked up the straps and tried to lift Piper’s bag—an impossible feat, since Lexy was barely able to walk on her own.

As Lexy began to cry in frustration, Piper knelt down to help. Removing the books from her bag, Piper thought her sister would be relieved, but instead she grew angry. She cried harder and tried to return the books to their place.

Irritated with her sister, Piper huffed. “You can’t lift it, Lexy!” She pulled the bag away, only to be met with an all-out tantrum from Lexy.

Mom rushed into the room. “What is it now, Piper?”

“Why is it my fault?” Piper asked. “I was trying to help.”

Mom gathered up Lexy to calm her and motioned for Piper to sit with them.

Once Lexy was calm, Piper spoke up. “I don’t want to cause trouble, Mom, but I do. Even when I’m trying to help I end up in trouble.”

Mom sat Lexy back down to play and turned to look at Piper. “Sometimes I put blame on you when I shouldn’t, Piper, and I’m sorry. I mess up too.”

Piper sighed. “I just want to be good enough so you and Jesus and everyone else will be happy with me, but I don’t know how to make that happen.”

“Oh, Piper,” Mom said. “Every time you try to be good enough on your own, you’re trying to lift a burden you can never carry.”

Piper looked down at her backpack and imagined herself as a baby trying to lift it. “Like Lexy trying to lift a bag full of books?” she asked.

Mom nodded. “When you trusted Jesus to save you, He filled up all the good for you. When we put our faith in Him, we don’t have to try to be good enough any longer. Instead, the good we do comes from a restful place of knowing He has already given us all we need. Because of Him, we’re always good enough.” – Maggie J. Sifuentes

How About You?

Do you ever feel like you can never be good enough? Does it seem like you can’t avoid getting into trouble? Maybe sometimes it all seems too heavy for you to carry. Let Jesus carry the weight for you. When you trust in Him, He gives you His goodness in exchange for your sin. Then your efforts to help and serve will be a joy, not a burden. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse: Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Today’s Key Thought:

Jesus makes you good enough