Two Mule or Forty Camel Burden
 
by Pastor Cindy Hyde 11/99                                            


"I'm having a Pastor Cindy week." A phrase coined by JoyAnne when her week was anything but what she had planned.

I began to think how easy it is for us to get much to busy. And with that came a thought about the burdens that we carry. As I searched the Scriptures I found that some carry a "two mules burden" and some a "forty camel burden". We all carry a burden. Some just much heavier than others. With this thought came the reality of these two types of burdens.
                                                 
These "two mules burdens" like households to run and clean with all the cooking, washing, sometimes the repairs... the burdens of work added to it. Then of course there are the kids with hours of homework after spending hours at school. Where's the family time? Many have financial burdens and the worries and concerns that go with them. Some have husband burdens having problems in so many areas of our lives is not easy to bear. Illnesses, loss of jobs, the everyday grind of making ends meet. Added to the stress of this present day world.

I think about all the distractions and detours I have to take during the week even after I have it carefully and prayerfully planned out in my planner. I quickly realize that some things are sent our way as tests to see if we will remain faithful to what the Lord is asking us to do inspite of the distractions. Some things are sent to steal our time away from what God wants us to do thereby preventing the work of the Kingdom of God to go on.

Then there are those things/people, and I added people because the distractions usually come through others. Like unexpected guests who just 'stop by' when you were on your way out to run errands or other things. There are so many things that come along and end up in our paths that it's hard to discern which cometh to steal and which cometh to heal.

I know that some of you are carrying a "forty camels burden" on your shoulders. These problems in your life almost being to much to handle.                        
     
When I think of this type of burden I think of a woman and her husband who are struggling financially since his job changed and his hours were cut. They have on top of this a chronic illness which requires very expensive medications. On top of that the husband has gone blind in one eye. Has had to have surgery and at this point doesn't know what will happen. And is told that he could lose sight in the other eye. They have children who are having marital problems. They have what I would consider a "forty camels burden" to bear.

I think of a young mother in an abusive relationship with several children who is terrified to get help or leave because of the repercussions. She thinks she deserves the abuse. She feels she did something that caused it. She has no money for extras and does without so that her children can eat. She has few friends. Her husband sees to that. She has no support from the church because most of the time she can't go and if she did have a way, what would she wear? I think of how he hoards and squanders that money that he does make on drugs or alcohol or gambling while his babies suffer from the lack of food on the table. He drinks up what should bring nourishment to their little bodies.

I think of a young teenage woman who is in a bad environment at home, already has many burdens to bear and becomes sick on top of her already chronic illness and discovers that she is diagnosed with cancer.

I think of the couple that has prayed for years to have a child. Only to have it be stillborn.

I think of a woman whose husband gets Alzheimer's. She struggles and attempts to take care of him at home. She looses night after night of sleep. She agonizes over the decision to put him in a nursing home where he can be protected and she can have help because they can't afford to pay someone to come in and take care of him. She visits him daily and sometimes twice a day knowing that one day she may be his mother and another she may be his sisters. Praying for the day when he will recognize the wife that she is. She watches as he gets some kind of incurable disease on his hands and feet
that cause blisters the size of quarters all over him and watches as they break leaving raw skin making it impossible for him to feed himself or do anything else. Taking him from one specialist to another. Fighting the system to make sure that her loved one is taken care of. Fighting to keep her sanity amongst all the legal matters that have to be settled in their lives, the financial matters that she has never had to deal with before are
now all on her shoulders. Sacrificially staying with him day and night when he is in the hospital for days and weeks at a time. This is a "forty camel burden" to me.

I think of the women who devote their lives to their husbands and their families. Raising 6 or 7 children in the admonition of the Lord. Only to find in later years that no one will care for her. No one will visit her in her last days as she is unmercifully dumped in a Nursing Home somewhere where her only contact is with nurses that have lost their compassion and are for the most part cruel and insensitive to the burdens on this little ones heart. Where is her family? Where is the justice in her being so sick and having to starve herself to death to escape the "forty camel burden". She didn't choose to get thrown away but she did.

I don't mean to sound morbid, but my heart is breaking as the Lord is revealing to me those with great burdens in their lives. I sit here with giant tears of intercession and compassion as I think of all that I have and all the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon us. So now I feel shame when I think of all the ones I could be reaching out to that I am not. God forgive me and strengthen me. Set my priorities right according to Your perfect will. Take these  burdens that I have. I give them to you.

Many of the burdens that we bear or not external. We can say right along with Job, "I am a burden to myself?" (7:20) Why with all we have to deal with would we inflict ourselves with even more burdens?

These internal burdens are buried deep within our hearts and can bow us over. Sorrow. Grief. Guilt. Shame. Anger. Bitterness. Resentment. Hurts. Abuses of all kinds that are not dealt with. Insecurities. Jealousies. Pride. And the list goes on and on of the things that we carry within us.

There is healing. Jesus took upon himself EVERY THING that we have to deal with. There is forgiveness. There is freedom from all our burdens.

Marilyn brought out this morning the need to be deal with our secret sins. We do not have to carry these burdens around with us. Read what King David wrote: Psa 38:4  "For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me." We do not have to drown in our iniquities. And we do not have to be shackled and chained with our pasts or with our present. And certainly not with our future. These burdens can be taken off our shoulders.

Are there things you have done that you haven't confessed to the Lord yet? Confess them then allow Him to cleanse that area of your life. I promise you He can and He will if you submit it to Him. There is ONLY ONE UNFORGIVABLE SIN. . . . Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Every thing else can and will be forgiven.

There are some things we can do to lighten our burdens. Give them to Jesus. Psalm 55:22  "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."

Check this one out. =) Psa 81:6  I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots. Check this out. Do you think this means we can be delivered from cooking and washing dishes to? I have been delivered from washing and we eat out A LOT. =) Thank You Jesus! Cooking is something that I do not enjoy unless it is a large amount for a group of people which I do often.

Seriously, did you notice how the Lord removed his shoulders from the burden instead of removing the burden from his shoulders? Is God trying to move you? Are you resisting? If your marriage is abusive do you think God would have you stay in it? Think. Is God trying to remove your shoulder from a burden at work? Think and listen to that still quiet voice. If you are not sure, there are many of us on here who are strong in the Lord who will pray with you. Myself, JoyAnne, Marilyn, Shirley, Nola to name just a few. Email them. Email me. Get with someone who will truly pray with you so that you can hear what the Lord wants you to do.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:30  "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Today! I am going to give it all to Jesus again today and let Him carry all my burdens. You can do the same. I am going to allow Him to order my steps, and direct my ways. I am going to submit to Him this week with my schedule and not get into TIME management, since it never works anyway but get into GOD management. =) Surely this will make a big difference in my life and yours to if you let it.

Gal 6:5  For every man shall bear his own burden." This verse used to confuse me. I looked just a moment ago and the word bear here means to take up. Burden here mean task. So this verse says to us to do your job. Fulfill those things that are your tasks to do. We each have many of them but if you read Proverbs 31 you will see a good summary of what they are. =) But bear in mind, this was an example for us to go by. I am still far from it. I may keep the night oil burning but I am certainly not up cooking breakfast for my family. They don't eat breakfast in the first place. =)

Zep 3:18  I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. 19  Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

I thought this verse suited this group very well. Some of you are sorrowful with your marriages being like they are, they are a heavy burden on your hearts, but God says He will "undo all that afflict thee," "save her that halteth," and gather her that was driven out," and if you have been put to shame God is going to turn that to fame and praise in every land. Hold your heads up daughters of the Most High God. He is on YOUR side.

He is a God of restoration. A God who has ONLY your best interest in mind. A God who makes a way when there seems to not be one. A God who takes your heavy heart and comforts it and eases the pain. We as Christians have many battles to fight. Take your stand today. Determine to rid yourself of every burden that you can. Determine to give it all to Jesus and let Him carry it for you.

I pray that this ministered to someone today. I know it did to me. I preach myself sermons all the time. Thank You Lord for letting us know that we can walk in freedom and that we can remove these yokes and that You will take our burdens and lighten them for us.

We love You Lord.

Blessings,
~Pastor Cindy
Cindy@TheRemnant.org

The Remnant Church 
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