A friend of mine runs regularly to stay healthy. He uses a weighted vest occasionally, which makes his body work harder and sweat more. He said it’s a tough road to run when he’s wearing all that extra weight, but the best feeling is when he comes home and takes that weighted vest off. There’s such a relief when he doesn’t have all of that weight to bear anymore.

Our lives can be filled with struggle and heartache. We work and toil throughout our time here on earth and carry a tremendous load on our spiritual and emotional shoulders. The weight can feel crushing at times.

Take heart, because the Lord knows your struggles. Jesus said in Matthew 11, “Come to me all of you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” He asks us to bring our pain and sorrow to Him and Jesus will give us His peace instead.

Jesus said “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” He’s God. Is there anything too tough for God? Certainly not! But that’s what He wants for us. He wants to give us His peace; a peace that the Bible in the book of Philippians calls “a peace beyond all understanding.”

When we get to Heaven, we will finally come to our true home. It will be a home where we will finally take off all of our weight. We can shed all of our burdens and lay them down at the foot of Jesus Christ.

You might be saying, “But what about now? I’m in pain now.”

Our Jesus is there with us through it all to keep us steadfast in the face of troubles. The Bible says in Isaiah 43, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

You will have struggles in this world. There will be times where you are weighted down and feel like you can’t go on. Know that Jesus Christ is there with you, lifting you up during those times. Psalms 34 says “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.”

Likewise, understand that your troubles are not necessarily only for you. We all go through some of those times in our lives. Sometimes it’s to build us up to help others and to bless our brothers and sisters.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians that God is the “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” You will be blessed through your trials so that you may help lift others up in their times as well.

God is loving and wise. He not only helps us through His own hands, but He sends us to help others as well. He wants us to experience His love from all sides.

Our troubles are many in this world, but our Jesus says to “take heart, because I have overcome the world.” No matter what you’re facing today, know that the weight won’t be there forever. You, too, will be able to lay your burdens down one day. The weight, the struggle, all lifted off of you completely and forevermore.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4).

Jesus is there, not just in Heaven, but right there with you right now. Call upon Him and He shall lift you up the way only God can.

God’s blessings to you.

DH