Hope When Burdens are Heavy
Is it just me or is 2020 off to a rough start for everyone? Within a span of two weeks, my family went through a major tragedy, a tornado tore through my city, and my school closed for two weeks (possibly more.) One of those would have been enough for an entire year. But, all three of them piled up on each other, leaving me completely overwhelmed.
The year that I had decided was going to be my year has taken a sharp turn from the kind of year that I was hoping for. I’d like to tell you that I immediately turned to God and began praying. Unfortunately, what I did instead was avoid coming to God because I was ashamed of my feelings. Even now, I keep alternating between sadness about the overwhelming circumstances and anger that my plans have been derailed.
The combination of anger and sadness doesn’t fit in with the image I have of how a strong woman of faith should feel. But, I’ve realized that this image comes from my head, not from the Bible. The Bible doesn’t tell me that I should only come to God when I feel presentable enough. That’s an expectation that I put on myself. In an effort to recalibrate my thoughts, I went straight to the source.
I always enjoy reading the Psalms especially those from David. He shows us what a deep relationship with God really looks like. He doesn’t pray fancy prayers to impress everyone around him. He doesn’t pray the way he is “supposed” to pray. He repeatedly cries out to God about the troubles in his life.
“Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes.” Psalm 31:9
David isn’t trying to clean up his feelings or make himself seem more holy than he is. He doesn’t have to impress God because God already sees him as he is.
David goes to God with his true feeling because there is no point in trying to hide them. We are allowed to put our real feelings on display when we come to God. In fact, this realness is an indicator of the strength of our relationship with God. You tell your acquaintances that things are fine. You tell your close friends how you feel. God already knows how you feel because he knows everything that there is to know about you.
“You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.” Psalm 139:2
Since we couldn’t hide our feelings from God no matter how much we might want to, it is better to bring everything before God. My feelings may be ugly and messy right now, but the only solution is to bring myself to God just the way that I am. Messiness included.
If we let our feeling separate us from God, then we will miss out on the hope that only he can provide. This hope is exactly what we need most during times of trouble.
“Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk for I give myself to you.” Psalm 143:8
Returning to verses in Psalms, we see that when David brought his mental and physical burdens to God, David was able to release those feelings and trust in God. God will do the same thing for us that he did for David.
God wants you, with all of your messiness and sadness and doubt, to come to him. God is our hope. As difficult as it might seem to believe during times of struggle, when you bring your burdens to God, He with restore your hope.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth is an educator at heart. So far this has taken the form of a camp counselor, a museum assistant, and currently a middle school teacher. She loves to watch people grow and learn. You can read more of her writing at her blog Chronicles of a Southern Belle.