What's In Your Backpack?

Fairly recently, there was a big issue regarding the amount of stuff in the average student's backpack. Enough, experts worried, that the load could potentially cause serious injury. Book after book of Important Material, different binders for every class, and Heaven help them if they played sports and brought their own lunches!

Carting around 30-40 lbs of Education isn't just painful; it's actually harmful.

Life gets like that, student or not. By now it's a well-known fact that stress can contribute to early death. A recent study even suggests those with elevated stress are 50% more likely to die early. Yet we all carry it on our backs. The cares of this world. The burden of sin. Whether you realize it or not, the guilt of a life lived without God. All of this is shoved into our proverbial backpacks and carried around all day. If you're walking around, there it is -- all your care, all your worry, all your guilt and pain -- strapped to your back. This isn't a new problem: it's as old as sin.

And that's exactly why Jesus offered an alternative. It turns out, all that stuff you're carrying on your back? You can trade it in.

 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

When you hand your stress-filled pack over to Christ, He will, with your permission, empty it of all that excessive junk. He will fill it instead with Love and Grace, and shoulder your own weight for you. Life doesn't have to be heavy. It doesn't have to be a burden. All of that can be lifted from you, the weight removed from your shoulders. And, standing straight for the first time, you can know what Christ meant by a life abundant.