Cast Your Burdens on the Lord...

I love the visual and the feeling behind 'throw your burdens'. Sometimes it seems easier to bury our burdens deep inside and it just simply doesn't help. It usually makes things worse. I have found, time and time and time again, that relying on my Savior to carry these burdens makes it all bearable and has helped me to grow as a person.

I was asked recently why on earth people rely on scripture to know what is 'right' or 'wrong'. I found myself looking inward and contemplating why it is that Scripture is so important to me in my life. Certainly I would be able to make the decision to not steal or lie or cheat without it coming from God's Word... so why do  I feel the need to read the Bible regularly?

I think the person I was talking has never felt the encouragement and validation that often comes from scripture. I also think that I rely on it not specifically to tell me what to do or how to act, but to convey a spirit of love.... to encourage through difficult times, to speak truth about human nature and how to view others. I don't know. Like I said, I was left contemplating and did not have a good answer. Except that I know that for me,  I am a better mom, wife, friend when I spend time in scripture on a regular basis. And it isn't because I read the ten commandments. ;)

Reading this yesterday reminded me, in some ways, of that conversation. Because reading and viewing and thinking about this one little verse gave me the strength to again cast my burdens, to again have faith in the One, to again... face another challenge. When humans are so forgetful, so controlled by emotions, and so carnally minded... how could you NOT see the benefit of reading scripture regularly?!

I thank God for His word that does all of these things... encourages, reminds, validates, chastises, envelopes, guides, teaches. And I hope that the time I spend reading, meditating and studying does make me a little bit of a better person.