Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you…

–I Peter 5:7

Image by congerdesign on Pixabay

We can’t save the world. Or at least, that’s what I’m told. I sure try, though. Every friend, every loved one who shares a struggle, a burden, a pain or a sorrow magically becomes my responsibility. And if you’re taking care of someone day in and day out, some of those burdens genuinely are your responsibility.

Whether you volunteered for the role of caregiver or not, you probably have a tender, compassionate heart that battles against this struggle to save the world as mine does.

I used to work at a small summer camp in Georgia where we memorized a new verse each of the 5 days of the week camp was in session. I Peter 5:7 was one of those verses. And it has saved my spirit so many times over the years since.

I’ve struggled a lot with many issues and trials over the years – losses, pain and suffering, watching loved ones suffer, et cetera – and this verse reminds me daily to think about Him and abandon my burdens to Him.

He’s capable of taking on the troubles of the world. We’re not. All our anxieties are more than we can bear. All the struggles and pains of people we love are even harder to bear. But we don’t have to do it alone. In fact, we can’t.

Jesus, thank you for taking my burdens. Thank you for taking the burdens of those I love. Please help me to remember, every day, that my burdens are not my own, but yours.