The Heavy Backpack

Most mornings our children have a time of devotions before they eat breakfast. They like to sing songs, followed by a time of Bible reading, and then ending in prayer.

Today Mama Imelda, our administrator, led devotions for the children. She titled the devotion: "The Heavy Backpack."

The Scripture she used was Salmos 55:22,

Echa sobre el SEÑOR tu carga, y El te sustentará; El nunca permitirá que el justo sea sacudido.

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. -Psalm 55:22

Mama Imelda explained that when we try to carry all of our burdens ourselves, each burden is like adding another book to your backpack.

The kids could relate to this because their backpacks are burdens! Any time I pick them up from school, one or more of them try to pawn their backpacks off on me to carry on our walk home. And I don't blame them! They weigh a ton!

She explained that when something hurts our feelings, we have the choice to put that in our backpack, or give it to the Lord. When someone won't play with us, we can put it in our backpack or give it to the Lord. When someone criticizes us because we are different, we can put it in our backpack or give it to the Lord. When someone corrects us for doing something wrong, we can put it in our backpack or give it to the Lord.

And just like a real backpack can weigh us down, our emotions and feelings -- guilt, pain, shame, frustration, anger, sadness -- can weigh us down if we don't release them.

Mama Imelda asked the kids how they could share their burdens with the Lord.

"Praying," Alondra answered immediately.

Mama Imelda agreed with her. "It's important to pray every day," Mama Imelda said, "to share with God what is weighing us down so that he can sustain us."

Mama Imelda also told the children that they could help ease the burdens of others by noticing when their "backpacks" are getting heavy. "If you see someone playing by themselves, or someone who gets picked on or left out, you can invite them to play with you and that will lighten their load. If you see someone who is different than you, you can remember that God created them that way and God's ways are perfect. If you see someone get disciplined for doing something wrong, laughing at them would add to their backpacks, but encouraging them to do better next time would help ease their burdens."

I don't know about you, but Randy and my backpacks have felt pretty full lately. I'm grateful for this reminder that we can offer these burdens to the Lord and that he will sustain us. I pray that you too will allow him to take those heavy backpacks off your shoulders so that you can live freely and lightly in company with him.