We were created to make an impact. And this remains one of our deepest desires. But it also becomes our burden as our path is frequently frustrated and our work is often misunderstood.
We know we’ve been given the strength to provide for our families and to bring more life and goodness into the world.
But our efforts are often thwarted through the “thorns and thistles” of life and the fruit of our labor doesn’t come easily despite all our hard work.
But we were built for endurance in body and soul and so we press on – doing the night work that no one else sees and wrestling with the ever-elusive balance between work and family.
This is the burden we must endure in order to experience our desires of making an impact.
And most days we readily accept this cost and would not ask for it to be removed – only actively acknowledged, affirmed, and supported.
But others have their own burden and cannot always see or fully understand ours.
For instance, our wives generally carry a heavier relational burden and tend to be more concerned about staying connected with loved ones than in making an impact in the world.
And as we’re prone to downplay and fail in consistently supporting her desire to connect, she might also downplay and fail to consistently support our desire for impact.
Both desires are valid and each burden is significant. But we must offer grace to each other as it’s easy to misunderstand the other’s approach.
And ultimately our burden is to drive us back to God to receive his empowering grace.
Remember God sees and understands your burden even when no one else does. Take your burden to him and let him restore you and build you up.
