Rocks and Wagons

I read a story recently in a book by Joanna Weaver, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" that struck my ministry family heart chord pretty bang on. The story talks of a man whom God has asked to carry three rocks up a mountain.  The man thinks, "Sure God, I can do that. Three rocks. It's not very far", and he proceeds up the mountain with the three rocks from God securely in his wagon.

Along the way this man runs into a couple of different people. Each person is happy to see the man because they too have rocks that they need taken to the top of the mountain. The man seems very happy to take the rocks of the villagers since there is room in his wagon, and their rocks seem very small. They fit nicely in the wagonload and do not add too much to the burden of the journey.

However, as the mountain road gets steeper and there are twists and turns along the way, the man is noticing that this job God has asked him to do is hard! This load is heavy! "God can't expect me to haul this all the way up the mountain!" (pg. 50). He looks up and sees the mountain top not too far away, and with relief and a final grunt of energy he lands his fully loaded wagon on the plateau and flops down in tiredness and despair. God looks at him and says, "You seem to be having a hard time. What's the problem?" The man proceeds to unload his overloaded wagon issues on God (which God graciously accepts), and he weeps with complaint and self pity.

From page 50:
 God looks at the wagon. "What is this?" He held up a bag of pebbles.

"That belongs to John, my good friend.  He didn't have time to bring it up himself. I thought I         would help."

"And this?" God tumbled two pieces of shale over the side of the wagon as the man tried to explain.

God continued to unload the wagon, removing both light and heavy items. They dropped to the ground, dust swirling up around them.  The man who had hoped to help God grew silent. "If you will be content to let others take their own burdens," God told him, "I will help you with your task."

"But I promised I would help! I can't leave these things lying here."

"Let others shoulder their own belongings," God said gently. "I know you were trying to help, but when you are weighted down with all these cares, you cannot do what I have asked of you."

The man realized that he only had to carry the three stones God asked him to. He did not have to carry everyone else's stones.

In ministry we are constantly bombarded with other people's burdens, and we are very tempted (and even guilty of wanting) to carry them. We get lulled by a false sense of security that says we will be better at ministry if we carry more, or we will be liked more, be respected more, be desired more if we carry more. But there is a difference between carrying for and carrying with. We can be called to walk alongside someone who has a heavy burden to carry. And that burden might not be very heavy for us to carry, but it is not ours to shoulder. If we remove someone else's burden and opt to carry it for them we risk two things (at the least):

For one, we risk taking the lessons God wants to teach other people away from them. God has given them that burden to carry for a reason. God wants nothing more and nothing less than to walk alongside them. He says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart". The yoke is a symbol of partnership, of training, of mentoring between two animals. Hard working, dedicated animals. This is what God wants for us. He wants us to come to him. Only he welcomes our burdens and takes them without complaint. He wants to make our burdens light, and to teach and train us as only he can. But when those burdens are not ours to carry, we rob other people of the special and significant relationship that God desires to have with them. We can love them, support them, pray for them, counsel them and guide them, but we must be careful to not take from them what God has lovingly given them. We might have the best of intentions, but those intentions pale in comparison to the plans God desires!

And second, we risk not being able to accomplish the tasks that God has called us to do. He has given us tasks, responsibilities, desires, and burdens. He wants us to have the close working relationship that he has called us to. He loves you. He loves me. He wants to work, live and love alongside each of us in ministry and in life. Our burdens are unique. They are ours, but they are ours to shoulder WITH him. I hope you find freedom in that reality!! "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." God has not asked, and is not asking, you to carry more than he knows you can handle. He has uniquely gifted you to carry what he has knows you can.

My own three stones are a whole lot easier to carry, and much more manageable, when I don't add other's rocks into my wagon. God asked the man to do one thing - carry the wagon of rocks up the mountain. God has asked you to do one thing - carry your wagon of rocks up the mountain. That, you can do.

Bless you - and your rocks and wagons! May God grant you wisdom to know which rocks are from him and which rocks have jumped in to your wagon, even with good intentions. I pray you find rest there in the working out of your load. God is good, and he will never leave you alone.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28)