Burdens

A medical missionary to Abyssinia, Dr. Lambie, learned a valuable lesson by observing a practice of the people native to the land. Not having many bridges over streams that at times were torrential, they adopted an unusual process for wading across safely. They would carry a sackful of stones as they crossed. Without that burden on their back their footing on the sometimes slippery creek bottom would be easily lost due to the force of the current. It’s much like the practice of adding weight to the back of the pickup truck in snowy weather to gain traction.

We are inclined to complain about burdens we have to bear in life. They are such a pain. While many of them are a huge hindrance it may also be true that some of them are designed to keep our feet on the ground and give us traction. We often learn things in the tough times that good times would never teach us. If you are burdened down with discouragingly heavy and difficult situations, consider this illustration. There may be a sunny side to the situation.

The Sunnyside with Henry Wiebe