My pocket book

My pocket book weighs about 7 pounds, literally. If you picked it up, you would understand. After carrying it for about 2-3 hours, your shoulder may start to hurt, your back may ache, and you would begin to ask things like, "what's in this thing?" "Is all this stuff really necessary?" And, of course, I would say, "Well, yes - everything is important. From the littlest band aid to the receipts from last week. From the bottle of water to the snack for later. Should we ever be held up, detained or stuck in an elevator, my pocket book would help us escape."

We all carry around burdens. Yes my physical burden is green, Bohemian, large and a gift from my husband, but there is another burden we need to discuss. Although my purse is heavy, my soul carries something much heavier. You may carry a variety of things - Sunday school director, mother, father, teacher, Deacon, associate, lawn maintenance man, and so on. Our lives are busy, our plates are full. And, we add thing after thing into our pocketbooks of life until we simply cannot lift them anymore. We burden ourselves with so much to do, we simply cannot do any more. And, then, we ask God - why? Why do I have so much to do? Why am I so tired? Why? Why? Why?

Guess what - God doesn't call us to fill our bags to the brim and add on extra luggage. God calls us to specific purposes. We are the ones that add on the extras and then complain about the fullness of our lives. Matthew 11:30 tells us, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." Outright, from the get-go, we know that Jesus provides for us all the help we need. I love the NET version of this verse - for my yoke fits perfectly and the burden I give you is light. Jesus doesn't expect us to work ourselves into the ground. Instead, He asks us to give our heart and soul to Him, to dedicate our lives to whatever He calls us to and quite frankly to cut out the stuff we just want to do or we think we should do. After all, shouldn't we just be doing what God calls us to do? He will not steer us wrong.

Think about it this way - when we do something we are not called to do, we are stealing someone else's burden from God. We are taking their burden and piling it upon ours... causing us pain and them to miss out on an opportunity from the Savior. Carry what Jesus calls you to carry - it is light. Don't pile unnecessary baggage into your already full purse. Listen to Jesus. Do what He wants. And, then, your burden will be light. Perhaps you'll even move from a large Bohemian pocket book to an evening clutch.


"Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters..." Isaiah 55:1