November 3
Scripture: Psa 118:24
Source author: Eva Juliuson
November 13
He Isn’t Heavy Then Jesus said, “ Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” —Matthew 11:28
Joey looked like a pro football player, only from the streets. In fact, he was overcoming a life of alcohol and homelessness. His slow and gentle mannerism soon put us at ease. When he felt safe, Joey told us why he had come to our grief recovery group. He had left home at an early age to escape an abusive father, yet he always felt guilty for leaving his mom and brothers to fend off his dad’s rages. To survive, he joined the military. When he was overseas, he found out his younger brother killed himself. Joey wondered if he could have prevented it. Two years later on the same date, his other brother killed himself. That’s when Joey turned to alcohol to deaden his pain. It got even worse when his mother died. Joey came to the grief group after learning his dad died before he was able to forgive him. My first reaction was, “Oh no! This is too heavy for me to help him with.” I felt God whisper to my heart, “It’s not too heavy for me!” I couldn’t handle his burden by myself, but I could help him carry it to the Lord.
Burdens become lighter when carried together to God. — Eva Juliuson —