I shared this a while back, but my sister-friend Jessica shared something really powerful with me, and it has given me tremendous peace. She told me when she’s facing something difficult or painful, she visualizes handing that problem to Jesus. She said she closes her eyes and pictures whatever she is wearing at the time, whatever she saw and smelled before closing her eyes; she puts herself right there in the moment, but pictures herself at the feet of Jesus, physically handing over the problem/burden and releasing it to Him.
When Jessica shared this with me, I immediately closed my eyes and pictured myself handing over the heavy burden I was carrying, and placing it at the feet of Jesus.
You see, when we give our problems to Jesus, He then takes them for us. No matter how heavy. No matter how cumbersome. No matter how horrific. Jesus takes them. Here’s the key, though, to unlock your peace: when Jesus takes them, we don’t have to carry them, anymore.
I also very much believe God places people in our lives to help us carry those heavy loads, and place them at Jesus’ feet. Because sometimes those burdens are just too heavy for us to carry, alone.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” - Galatians 6:2 (NIV)
Terry has helped me lift some really heavy burdens and carry them to Jesus, and I have helped him, with His. Some of the things that weighed me down so greatly, I just couldn’t seem to release myself from the heartache and pain they caused. After Jessica told me how she visualizes handing over her problems to Jesus, I did the same thing. I visualized myself with those problems and burdens wrapped tightly around my neck, almost choking me.
With tears, I unwrapped them, one by one, and lifted them up to Jesus. As Terry held me one night as I cried and said to me, “None of this is your fault. You know this. I won’t allow you to blame yourself for this,” I could feel the weight of the burdens slowly being lifted. Sometimes all we need is to pour our hearts out to a trusted loved one, and allow them to help us carry it all.
We cannot carry our heartache and pain, all alone. We were not made to do life, alone.
Talk to someone. Let them help you unpack your heavy load, and then visualize yourself handing over the heaviness, one problem at a time, to Jesus. As Elisabeth Elliot wrote, “Leave it all in the hands that were wounded for you.”