Problems

In the midst of the stress of coping with our daily problems--some of them overwhelming--it’s difficult to apply meaningfully the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:26, telling us to come to him when we are troubled and weary; yet it is in those very trying circumstances that he promises to give us rest and peace of soul. He said his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Yet we have to understand that our yoke is really his yoke if we have truly “cast our anxieties on him” (see 1 Pt 5:7).

Try to grasp the profound significance of this Scripture-based truth. Jesus takes all our burdens upon himself, and in exchange gives us a far lesser burden and an easy yoke. When we move the stone, as it were, to the front of the wheelbarrow, over the wheel, it becomes easy to lift and to move; the burden becomes easy and light.

How calm and joyful we are to be unencumbered by burdens, enjoying God’s support as we rest in him, trusting him moment by moment; we then find it easy to praise him even in the midst of bad times, knowing that we are in his care! Instead of spending our time stressed out by problems that seem unsolvable, we serenely depend on him to handle those problems in his way and in his time, as long as we are doing our part (pushing the now-easy-to-move wheelbarrow). Instead of a day or a week or a month spent struggling with burdensome problems, that day or week or month becomes free of pressures and light with uplifting joy. Thus, as we rejoice in the time the Lord has given us, our mind remains open to undreamed of possibilities and closed to worry and futility!

After you begin to learn to trust God blindly with all your problems, beware: Satan is bound to try to tell you it won’t work. He will use every trick he can think of to reburden you with the same problems you’ve just give away; he’ll try to fill your mind with worry and make you doubt that the Lord is really concerned about your problems.

The only way to tell that you’ve really turned everything over to God is to determine that you are able to maintain reasonable concern, but not worry, about a problem. If you find yourself constantly thinking and talking about a problem, chances are you are still holding on to it. If you’ve laid everything at the feet of Jesus, there is no cause for worry! When you do this irrevocably, Satan has no ground on which to stand. When he brings it to your mind, dispel the temptation to worry by means of a moment of calming prayer. Remind yourself that the problem is now God’s problem, no longer yours--it is his yoke and his burden. So if Satan tries to entice you back into the worry mode, he will need God’s permission to do so--a very unlikely prospect! Anna Shipton, among her published inspiring insights, stated, “I have never committed the least matter to God that has not given me reason for limitless praise for his goodness.”

Peter’s experience of walking on water in the Sea of Galilee illustrates the importance of not relapsing in our trust in God when confronted with problems. Peter’s miraculous walk on water at Jesus’ invitation was temporarily successful. Why? Because he was walking toward Jesus, with his focus and attention on Jesus. It was only when he began to focus on the turbulent waves that he began to sink. He became preoccupied with the threatening problem (the surging waves) rather than remaining focused on the problem-solver, Jesus.

This excerpt is from the book Pathways of Trust, by John H. Hampsch,C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.