First, we should cast them on God, and _let_ Him carry them. He cannot
unless we do. One sometimes sees a petulant and self-confident little
child staggering along with some heavy burden by the parent's side, but
pushing away the hand that is put out to help it to carry its load. And
that is what too many of us do when God says to us, 'Here, My child! let
Me help you, I will take the heavy end of it, and do you take the light
one.' 'Cast thy burden upon the Lord'--and do it by faith, by simple
trust in Him, by making real to yourselves the fact of His divine
sympathy, and His sure presence, to aid and to sustain.
Having thus let Him carry the weight, do not you try to carry it too. As
our good old hymn has it--
'Why should I the burden bear?'
It is a great deal more God's affair than yours. We have, indeed, in a
sense, to carry it. 'Every man shall bear his own burden.' The weight of
duty is not to be indolently shoved off our shoulders on to His, saying,
'Let Him do the work.' We have indeed to carry the weight of sorrow.
There is no use in trying to deny its bitterness and its burden, and it
would not be well for us that it should be less bitter and less heavy.
In many lands the habit prevails, especially amongst the women, of
carrying heavy loads on their heads; and all travellers tell us that the
practice gives a dignity and a grace to the carriage, and a freedom and
a swing to the gait, which nothing else will do. Depend upon it, that so
much of our burdens of work and weariness as is left to us, after we
have cast them upon Him, is intended to strengthen and ennoble us. But
do not let there be the gnawings of anxiety. Do not let there be the
self-torment of aimless prognostications of evil. Do not let there be
the chewing of the bitter morsel of irrevocable sorrows; but fling all
upon God. And remember what the Master has said, and His servant has
repeated: 'Take no anxious care ... for your heavenly Father knoweth';
'Cast your anxiety upon Him, for He careth for you.'
And the last advice that comes from my text is, to see that your tongues
are not silent in that great hymn of praise which ought to go up to 'the
Lord that daily beareth our burdens.' He wants only our trust and our
thanks, and is best paid by the praise of our love, and of our heaping
still more upon His ever strong and ready arm. Bless the Lord! who
beareth our burdens, and see that you give Him yours to bear. Listen to
Him who hath said, 'Come unto Me all ye that ... are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest.'