Article October 11, 1999 Issue

Unburden yourself

Lean on God.

By David W. Barton

When I Lived in Taiwan, I watched the people haul big loads—farm products, pots and pans, everything imaginable—on what seemed like vastly undersized wagons. When I think of the Bible verse "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee" (Ps. 55:22), I picture these wagons being pulled by men, women, and children, dwarfed by the size of the loads.

There's a song called "Lean on Me," whose lyrics I thought of as a reminder to lean on God under all circumstances. Part of my work in Taiwan was to welcome people to their new military assignment. So I used this song as a script to lead people to think about the chapel services and God when the burdens of being away from home, loved ones, and familiar surroundings felt too great to bear. Many of the pictures in the short slide show I prepared were of these wagons on their daily routes around the city.

Little did I know that within a short time after my return to the United States, I would find myself with many burdens, feeling like the wagon-puller responsible for such a heavy load. And definitely needing to know what it means to be able to lighten my load by shifting it into God's care.

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