I Learned Something Today

Reading my devotion this morning from Charles Stanley, I learned something that I believe I've heard wrong for quite sometime.  You've heard it said that if you are burdened with something, to give it to God and let Him take care of it.  I've always understood this as "having dumped the burden like a bag of garbage" (InTouch July '09, pg. 42).  This is how I've always approached giving my troubles, my burdens to God.  This is how I've always understood this concept.  But this is not the case.  I learned it in a different light this morning and it makes much more sense.  Giving our burden to Him is a process, just like the Christian faith & walk of any believer.  Christ invites us to share in this troubled time with Him so the two of us can walk and work together.  It's a way for us to get our focus off of ourself and our current situation.  It's a way for us to not feel as if we have to handle it and deal with it on our own.  We shouldn't approach anything, good or bad, in this manner.  In any process in which we share it with Christ, we are essentially giving more of ourself to Him.  This is what He wants.  He wants each one of us in order to have the relationship that He desires with us.  In giving our burdens to Him, we are not to do it for selfish relief in our thinking that we cannot deal with the situation anymore.  Instead, we give it to Him so that we can let Him change our thoughts and responses.  This allows us to "begin to love Him, trust Him, believe His promises, and rely on His power" (InTouch, 42).  "Then as the weight of the affliction shifts from our shoulders to His, we will discover relief, although the situation may remain unchanged" (InTouch, 42).  

This makes much more sense than thinking He snatches up our problem right when we ask/tell Him to and everything is made better, instantly.  It's a gradual process.  Just like the rest of the Christian faith.  If we are sincere about wanting to be like Christ and have the relationship with Him that He wants with us, then we have to be patient.  It is a journey and it begins with our hearts.  We have to be sincere about believing in Jesus as the Son of God.  We have to be sincere in our desire to be like Christ.  We have to be sincere in our desire of a more intimate, mature understanding of Jesus thus creating a more intimate, mature relationship with Him.  It's a daily process that starts with giving ourselves to Him.  In doing so, our known sinful desires, attitudes, and struggles will diminish.  And in our continued pursuit of being like Christ and knowing Christ, unknown, sinful, selfish ways will become known to us and the continued refining of our hearts will continue.  We do not just quit sinning and screwing up the minute we realize who Christ is and that we want Him in our life.  It's a daily process.  Just like the patience it takes in sharing our burdens with Christ.  It is in these daily steps that our faith grows.  It is here our understanding of Jesus grows.  And it is here where our relationship with Him matures, growing closer to Him and more like Him.