Isaac Page tells the story of a poor man in Ireland who was plodding along toward home. A horse and wagon came along and the driver stopped to offer him a ride. The man accepted and climbed up on the seat alongside the driver but kept holding the bag of potatoes in his arms. When the driver suggested that he lay it down on the wagon floor, he replied warmly in his Irish brogue, “I don’t like to trouble you too much, sir. You’re a givin’ me a ride already, so I’ll just carry the potatoes!”
We sometimes do the same when we try to carry life’s burdens by worrying instead of turning them over to God. No wonder we become weary, our hearts faint within us, and we lose courage. Any circumstance over which we have no control can become a “bag of potatoes” if we fret and worry about the outcome. Some burdens must be borne, but even those become lighter when we trust the Lord to give us the grace to bear them.
The next time you start worrying, ask yourself, “Is this burden one that God wants me to bear? Or does He want me to let Him carry it?” You don’t need to worry that you will overwhelm Him. – Henry G. Bosch
Have you taken it to Jesus,
just the thing that’s pressing now?
Are you trusting Him completely
With the when, and where, and how? – Hennessay
God tells us to burden Him with whatever burdens us.
- June 12, 1993, Our Daily Bread
For You 