Spring. New life. Hope in the air. Easter time. The resurrection heavy on our minds and hearts. That’s when the “The Incident” happened. So suddenly.

My brother and I were eight or nine years old. Our mom had gotten us each a baby chick for Easter that year. They were just so precious. Mine was pink and His was green. (That was before they knew the colored dye was harmful to their health.) They acted like they thought we were their parents. Running up to us and cheep-cheeping frantically to be fed, following us around the patio as fast as their little legs could carry them, and nestling close to our necks with their eyes closed as we cradled them. Our babies.

The primary care of our babies naturally fell to me, as I was the more responsible parent. Don’t get me wrong; Bryan loved his chick. He was a boy, however, and had other manly responsibilities. One of which was fighting wars by blowing up plastic green army men with firecrackers in the sand pile. The other was playing in the NBA with a nerf basketball and rim that hung off our parents’ bedroom door, in which he was all the players, the coaches and the crowd -for both teams, simultaneously.

(Insert radical crowd noises and eye roll here.)

Bryan loved to be on the go, and I enjoyed staying at home. So it was on this day when the accident occurred. He was gone to town with a family member, and I was going to spend a few hours keeping our babies company.

Our house was a brown brick, Spanish style, U shaped home, with a patio in the center. That’s where our babies lived in a cardboard box.

I thought I would construct a more suitable living quarters for our babies, instead of the crude cardboard habitat they were living in. It was going to be very sturdy. I used a heavy castiron fire pit grate for the outside wall. Nothing was going to get in to our babies. I played with them for a few minutes, maybe half an hour. Very proud of myself for being able to construct such sturdy living arrangements for the chicks.

As I stood up to go inside, feeling assured they were content and safe, I bumped the iron grate wall. That’s when it happened -the incident that made me a murderer.

It happened so quickly. I didn’t actually see the wall fall, but the aftermath is imprinted in my mind for a lifetime. I remember the colors mostly -green and red and pinkish brown all squished together like the inside of a marble. Apparently, baby chicks are very fragile. I had killed my brother’s baby. My own chick was chirping frantically, and eyeing me suspiciously.

While I was standing there in horror, wishing I could have a do over, I heard the car doors shut. Not only did I have to deal with my own heartache and guilt, but now I had to face my brother and tell him what I had done, all before the aftermath was even cleaned up

My brother probably hasn’t thought about our baby chicks and “The Incident” another time over the years. The fact that I’m writing about the incident over four decades later, should tell you how it impacted me. It was quite a heavy burden for a nine year old to bear.

I remember feeling shocked, frightened, horrified, regretful, ashamed, and sickened. Are these feelings familiar to you?

All of us carry burdens quietly throughout our lives. Burdens that weigh down our spirits unnecessarily. Jesus really is our Burden-bearer. He tells us in His Word that He desires to carry our burdens for us. He desires to give us rest in Him.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

The Apostle Peter sure knew a thing or two about carrying heavy burdens. After all, he denied the Lord Jesus three times after he declared that he would die with Him if need be. Never again has a rooster crowing sounded so heavy.

Yet, we see Peter on the Day of Pentecost preaching the keynote message of salvation and approximately 3,000 people being added to the Church that day. Just as Jesus had said he would have the Keys of the Kingdom, he used those keys to unlock the gift of salvation on that momentous day by instructing the crowd:

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:38-39)

In his first epistle, Peter eveals how he accomplished this.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

ALLOWING JESUS TO BEAR OUR BURDENS INVOLVES:

1. HUMBLING -God does not humble us. We must humble ourselves. This begins with true repentance.
2. CASTING -God does not take our burdens from us. We must exert the effort to “cast” them upon Him physically, emotionally and spiritually.
3. ALLOWING -God does not force us to move past an unloaded burden. We must choose to allow Him to carry it for us and move forward. This involves forgiving ourselves.

WHAT KINDS OF BURDENS DOES JESUS WANT TO CARRY FOR US?

1. Things that we have willfully done, said or thought.
2. Things that we have accidentally done, said or thought.
3. Things that we have unknowingly done, said or thought.

WHAT KIND OF BURDENS ARE YOU TRYING TO CARRY ALONE?

During this Easter season, my prayer, and Jesus’ great desire, is that you will finally take advantage of His sacrifice, and cast ALL your burdens upon Him.

I know from experience they can get extremely heavy.

Warm Regards, -Pat