The Steadying Power of Burdens
By S. S. Times
We worry under our burdens, and we sometimes think that it would be so pleasant to have nothing to uphold, or to feel the weight of. But it is our very burdens which enable us to stand firmly, and to walk securely. It is the empty car which jumps and jolts along the track; the loaded car moves steadily. It is the vessel with no cargo, or with a short one, that rolls and pitches fearfully; the full-freighted craft is steadiest, in calm or storm. Even a trained acrobat must have a balance-pole in his hands, to enable him to walk a tight rope safely. So in every sphere of life, a fitting burden is a steadying, and so a saving, agency. The only question is, What burden shall we bear? not, Shall we bear a burden? This is that which gives force and point to the words of our Lord: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." And how will he give us rest? "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; . . . and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." If our burden is one that we ought to bear, it is always easier to go on with that burden, than it would be to go on without it. If the Lord has provided your burden, there is nothing you have more reason to be grateful for than your burden.—S. S. Times.