Overloaded

Being alone with my thoughts is a dangerous thing. First of all they often swing from one subject to another and what may have started out light-hearted somehow gets shanghaied into the belly of the enemy's ship. I must be cautious and not allow the bucket full of monkeys free-reign, for every inch of thought would be turned into their playground with little effort on their part.

It seems just a natural thing to let my mind roam, picking up little trinkets here and there to pocket, pull back out later and muse over. My mind easily picks and gleans continually as I go about the day and my mouth follows along making seemingly simple commitments. I excitedly sign up for things I am perfectly capable of doing and decide to fill my days with activity from start to finish never once giving it a second thought...until my head hits the pillow at night. For the most part things are quiet and docile from sun-up to sun-down but at the end of the day when my body is preparing to rest this fully-loaded mind of mine begins it's unloading process.

Often it backs up to the night dock like a dump-truck releasing all the junk gathered from the day with one pull of the lever, leaving me to pick and sort what to keep and what to throw away. There is a two-fold problem here: #1 - My mind doesn't allow me to throw away anything it has dumped and #2 - I don't have the common sense to just walk away from the mess. I desperately need a curator!

There are times during the night shift that the old task-master will hand me one thought at a time to process, turning eight hours of intended rest into eight hours of planning and plotting which, invariably, carries into the next morning affecting yet another day filled with it's own self-assigned projects to tackle. Jesus has provided a better way if I will just choose it.

"Don't worry about tomorrow" He says. "Take only what I assign for you to carry", He pleads. Take every thought captive and hand it off to Him. Rest in Him. His instructions are simple but that doesn't mean I keep them easy.

I'm reminded of a folk-tale accredited to the late Rosemarie Kowalski. It goes something like this: There was a man who truly desired to be a servant for God. He woke every morning and before his feet hit the floor he would say "God please use me to do your work today." He was truly anxious to do good and help others.

One particular morning as he and God were talking God gave him a very specific task to carry out. "Outside you will find a cart with three lovely stones. I'm asking you to carry them to the mountain at the top of your village for the builders to use in one of my projects. You should be there by noon to rest and enjoy the view before heading home for the day".

Honored by the opportunity to help God and others complete His assigned projects He quickly stepped outside and found the cart and three lovely stones just as God had said. He happily scooped up the cart handles and headed on his way through the village. As he passed his neighbor's house he heard a voice calling from the back. "Hello friend! Where are you headed on this beautiful day?" "I've a task to run to the top of the mountain for The Master" the man said. "Oh! If you're going to the top of the mountain would you mind carrying these two bricks as well? I've been meaning to do it for a few days but just haven't gotten around to it." The man looked at the 2 bricks and saw he could easily fit them into his cart and agreed. Off he started once again for the top of the mountain, hardly noticing the bouncing bricks as he went along. A few houses down was the Widow Martin's house. She was a sweet lady who enjoyed the help of the community as she was getting over the death of her beloved husband. She was in her porch swing and called out to him as he was passing by. "Hello good neighbor! Where are you headed this morning?" "I am going to the top of the mountain on assignment from The Master." "Oh what a wonderful coincidence! The Master gave me a bag of produce to carry there yesterday to supply the workers for next week. Since you are going anyway would you mind carrying it for me?" The good neighbor glanced in his cart then at the average bag of produce and decided it shouldn't be a problem. After scooping it up and placing it on top of the bricks and the lovely stones he continued on his way. Quite frequently he would stop and adjust the bag of produce to make sure it was not being damaged by his other cargo. At the edge of town, before hitting the mountain's slope, he passed by the village bakery. "Hello my good patron! I will have some wonderful lunch prepared in just a bit if you would like to wait." The food smelled delicious but the man wanted to enjoy the mountain view while eating the lunch that would be waiting on him there. "As good as the meal smells I must decline the invitation. I am headed to the top of the mountain on an assignment from The Master today." The baker hurriedly disappeared into the back and came out with some various cooking pans and utensils, clanging them into the cart while barely missing the bag of produce. "What providence that you are going to the top of the mountain today!" the baker exclaimed. "I received a request the first of the week from The Master asking for these items to be delivered there. I quickly got them together but haven't had the chance to carry them. You can take them for me since you're going anyway can't you?" The man looked into his now loaded cart, hesitating just a bit. Reasoning that it couldn't hurt to help the baker out he took up the cart and headed to the mountain trail.

The load was heavy and shifted about from side to side making it difficult to stay on the marked path. He would often get to one side or the other, running into ruts and rocks along the narrowing path. The loose, grainy dirt along the edges made his footing difficult and on more than one occasion he slipped, landing on his knees and nearly tipping the cart along with all it's contents over the edge. After much struggling up the mountain he realized he would never make it in time to enjoy his lunch and the beautiful view. He began to complain about The Master giving him such a difficult assignment. He could of at least given him a companion to help...even a goat to pull the cart would have been a good gesture. He was contemplating leaving the cart behind to find help when he heard The Master's voice behind him. "I would have thought you would be enjoying lunch from the mountain top by now friend. What has taken you so long?" "It's this load you have given me to carry", said the man, "It often shifts from side to side and it's weight keeps me from sure footing on this terrain. I can't do what you've asked of me. The load is just too much!"

The Master walked up to the cart and began lifting out the baker's utensils, the widow's produce and the neighbor's bricks one by one. "Why is your cart filled with these items?" The Master asked. "When others in the village found out I was going to the top of the mountain they would put those things in my cart that you had asked them to carry up there. I wanted to help them so I decided I could do that for them since I was going anyway." "But friend" The Master said "I did not ask you to carry their loads along with yours. The load I gave you was easy and light. You have been the one to make it difficult and heavy." With that The Master emptied the cart of all but the three lovely stones and walked with the man along the way. "But what about the other things?" the man asked. "Leave them there. I will address that matter later but for now lets go enjoy the mountain view. I have lunch ready and waiting for you."

Is your mind racing with thoughts on who to fix, what to do or how you can do it?

There are many tasks and thoughts that we are not assigned to carry. While we are commanded to love our neighbor and help our brother in need we must remember there are things we are to leave with others for them to do. We are told to pray, do and go but we can not pick up things and carry them endlessly. We must learn what to pick up and carry and for how long. The only way we can do that is to lay everything at The Master's feet. Ask Him to show you what is for you, what is for others and what must be left to Him then allow Him to give us what He wishes us to carry, no more - no less. His project will be completed and each of us are assigned work for that purpose. Let's be wise in our efforts, not trying to please anyone but The Master, and in that effort each of us will grow into maturity as we work together to accomplish His purpose.

Matthew 11:30, I Corinthians 12:12-27, I Peter 5:7, Phillipians 4:6, Luke 12:22-31

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