Redistribute The Weight!

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y all indications, it was going to be a particularly hot day at Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico.  The weather forecaster had promised the high would be in the upper 90’s and it looked as if he would keep his word.  I had awakened around six o’clock, and had already showered, made my bed, and gotten dressed for the day.  I joined the other early risers and made my way to Philmont’s dining hall, prepared to eat a good breakfast before starting the day.

After breakfast, I made my routine morning visit to the logistics department to see how many crews would be arriving.  Already in the welcome center, groups were meeting their guides, getting their maps and agendas prepared, and weighing their packs.  The pack’s weight was a very important factor because an individual would carry this pack at least 50 to 75 miles in the coming ten days.  It was the job of the crew chief to ensure that all the necessary items were evenly distributed among the crew and that no none person carried an undue share of the burden. 

Later that afternoon, I was called out to one of the camps for a routine supply run. I enjoyed getting out of base camp and admiring the beautiful scenery of the New Mexico landscape.  After delivering my supplies and the all-important mail, I headed back toward base camp, hoping to arrive in time for lunch.  As I rounded the bend, I met a rather large crew stopped along the side of the road.  I took to opportunity to stop for a few minutes to see how their trek was going.  All the crew members had opened their packs and were busily unpacking and repacking their gear.  This struck me as curious but not odd since this type of thing happened all the time.

After a few moments of friendly chit chat, the crew chief informed me that one of his crew members was having a particularly hard day on the trail.  His fellow crew members wanted to help him out so they had decided to lighten his load by redistributing the weight among themselves.  This meant that this particular crew member could continue with a lighter load and that his teammates would carry his portion for the day.  The next day, someone else might be in the same situation and again the weight would be redistributed with the entire crew sharing the burden.

I watched this crew with great admiration and respect.  Instead of counting one of their number out, they chose to pitch in and help him, to make it possible for him to continue walking the path.  As I drove away from them, I couldn’t get the picture of that crew out of my mind.  It made me think of another picture, one painted by Jesus himself as he addressed all those who travel the Christian road, who get bogged down and become weary under the heavy burden of life.

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus extends an invitation to redistribute the weight we carry on our backs.  “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”  There is so much truth and so much love in this short command form our Lord.  First, notice that Jesus bids us come to him with our burdens.  He knows that we grow weary. He understands that the road is long and that we are weak.  Jesus is fully aware of all the difficult road blocks that life puts across our path and he is aware that our backs grow tired and weak under the heavy burdens we carry.  What Jesus says to us is this: “Let’s stop beside the road for just a minute.  Let’s open up the packs and redistribute the weight.  I will carry the heavy stuff so that you can rest and together we will continue on the way.”

This is true love.  Jesus wants us to complete the journey we started and he wants to complete it with us.  He offers us rest, not the sit-down-and-do-nothing kind of rest but rest for the soul.  It is the type of rest that is constant no matter what we are facing in life.  Jesus asks us to roll the heavy stuff on to him and to let him carry our burdens for us.  In exchange, he gives us his burden which is light and he promises that our souls will find rest in him.

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re you carrying a heavy pack today?  Is it full of care, worry, frustration, and confusion?  Are you weighted down with all the cares of this life, wondering how you will ever continue with the burden on your back?  Listen very carefully and you will hear the voice of Jesus.  He is whispering very softly, asking you to give him all your cares.  Don’t you want to let him handle the heavy stuff?  Don’t you think it’s time you redistributed the weight?