Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB

In this day and age, we are expected to empathize with whatever the latest cause might be. The Me Too movement. Black Lives Matter. Whether or not you are leaving a heavier carbon footprint than the next person. Whether you support LGBT rights or not. Where you stand on gun control, foreign policy, what kind of energy resources you consume and on and on and on. And the current spirit of the age labels you morally and ethically wanting if you don’t empathize with the latest greatest cause. The bottom line is this: the human soul was never meant to carry the weight of the world. We cannot possibly empathize with every cause. We were never meant to bear the weight of the needs of mankind. Only a Savior - only Jesus - can do that.

Was Jesus ever stressed or anxious? Let’s think about that. He bore the weight of the sin of mankind on His shoulders on the cross, not to mention the agony of the impending doom He faced in the Garden of Gethsemane just before His crucifixion. In Luke’s Gospel, chapter 22 beginning at verse 41 it says:

[Luke 22:41-44 NASB] 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

Jesus was stressed and anxious and in sheer emotional agony, yet what did He do? “[He] for the joy set before Him endured the cross!” according to Hebrews 12:2!

How could He experience joy in the midst of such agony? He gave His burdens in prayer to the Father and He focused on us and our need for a Redeemer and Savior. He was able to see what His Father saw!

In the world of counseling there is a phenomenon called compassion fatigue. For the past three months, I have been in a needy place in my soul. Melinda described it as a hole I have gotten into that is dark and consuming. During the past week, she has come to the end of her capacity to carry the load for both of us and expressed her need to get some relief. In that moment, I realized I had so burdened her with my own needs that I had neglected meeting hers. She was experiencing compassion fatigue.

This, rather than causing me to digress further into the darkness, actually woke me up to the fact that I needed to cast my cares on the Lord…that I needed to fight for my freedom…that I was running a marathon and not a sprint. Simply put, I needed Jesus to be my care-giver and not cast all my cares on Melinda…because she was never intended to carry the entire load. She was called to be my help-meet…not my Savior. She had come to the end of grace and I needed to let her express that to me. Wake-up calls are good for the soul.

One time, many years ago, a friend and I went mountain climbing in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of Colorado. With full backpacks and above 10,000 feet, we were suddenly caught in an intense thunderstorm, complete with lightning. My friend yelled at me, “Drop your backpack and run for cover!” He did not have to tell me twice. With deadly lightning bolts crashing all around us, we found shelter beneath a rocky overhang. In life, there are times when we must unencumber our souls and head for shelter in Jesus. Practically, it is called confession and hiding in Jesus! Let us be quick to do that today! Let us empathize with the causes that we have been given grace for and not worry about what the world around us thinks. Here are some practical steps to do that very thing:

• Lay aside the cares of the world and run for cover

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10 NASB

• Hide out in Jesus

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2 NASB

• Let Him be Savior and Redeemer of the world

A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF,
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.
Matthew 12:20 NASB (Jesus quoting Isaiah 42:3 NASB)

• You empathize with the causes you have been given grace for

"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' 32 "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:27-34 NASB

• Fight for your freedom and run the race set before you

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith…
2 Timothy 4:7 NASB

The bottom line? Let Jesus be Savior and Redeemer of the world. You simply be His child and daily un-encumber your soul to Him. He is God. You are not.
Dennis Jernigan

Un-encumbering the Soul