Are You Carrying More Than You Are Meant To?

We’ve had three weeks to get used to this new lifestyle.  When Randy first got home from the hospital I suddenly had so many new responsibilities.  I felt overwhelmed with all the details that I needed to keep track of.  The weight of responsibility was so heavy and it was someone else’s life I was responsible for so I had to get it right. I was physically exhausted  from the stress of the weeks in the hospital but more challenging was the mental fatigue.  I felt like I already had more on my plate than I could manage and I still had so much to learn.

I’ve spent many hours reading cookbooks and going to health food stores reading nutrition labels to find foods Randy can eat on a low carb, low sodium, low vitamin K diet. And how do you begin to make foods that he can eat and still meet the expectations of the rest of the household?  I found myself becoming stuck.  Too much to think about. No one to help me adjust to all of it.

I couldn’t expect Randy to help me. It wasn’t supposed to be about me. This was about helping HIM regain his strength and learn to live with all the new rules. It was so important to get this right.  So much heaviness threatened to crush me.

But then something happened to remind me that God is never far from those who are struggling.  A friend who has been following our story wrote that she had been prompted to pray for Randy in the middle of the night and she shared a passage of scripture that was just what I needed.

“I relieved his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from carrying the basket. You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the thundercloud.” – Psalm 81:6-7 (HCSB)

I don’t have to carry this by myself! God has promised to take the weight off my shoulders. A weight He didn’t design me to carry in the first place. I can place all my cares into the basket and then hold that basket out to the Lord. He will take it from me and I can rest.

And when I am able to rest, I can also begin to focus on the good things that are happening.   As I see Randy regaining his strength, I am thankful. When I see him returning to his woodworking, I am overjoyed. When we find a place we can go on date night that has foods he can eat, I am grateful!

What challenges are you facing today?  Perhaps you can mentally place them all into the basket and watch the Lord lovingly take the basket out of your hands. He will be glad to do it!