Lighten the Load
Cast all your anxiety on [God], because he cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:7 (NRSV) Several years ago, I decided to start living in a healthier way. After eating better and exercising I lost a total of 50 pounds. I slept better, my knees and feet stopped hurting, and my cholesterol dropped. Bud I didn't know how big a difference I'd made until I went on a backpacking trip. We hiked 18 miles in three days with all of our supplies on our backs. My pack weighed 50 pounds. As I walked along the trails, I was amazed that I had carried that same amount of weight every day for years. Just as I was carrying too much physical weight, many of us are weighed down by guilt and shame. Broken relationships leave us clinging to grudges. The weight of our struggles piles on so gradually that we often don't realize how it is affecting us. We are not designed for this weight! As we take a closer look at ourselves, we can find weights to lay down. Today's verse reminds us that giving