An Amish man was walking down a country road with a heavy sack of potatoes on his back. The load was pressing hard on his shoulders, and each step was slow and tiring. As he walked, an English farmer came along in a pickup truck and stopped beside him.
The farmer rolled down his window and said, “Sir, would you like a ride?”
The Amish man was thankful and gladly accepted. He climbed into the back of the truck. But instead of setting the sack down, he kept the potatoes on his shoulders the whole time.
After driving a short distance, the farmer looked back and asked, “Why don’t you set that sack of potatoes down on the truck bed?”
The Amish man replied, “You have already been kind enough to give me a ride. I didn’t want you to have to carry my potatoes too.”
How often do we do the very same thing with God? We ask Him to save us, help us, and carry us, but we keep holding on to our burdens. We climb into the truck, but we never set the load down. We keep carrying our worries, our guilt, our fears, and our past, even though God has already offered to carry it all.
The Bible reminds us that God does not just want to help us partway. H
e invites us to give Him everything.
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Jesus also said:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Rest only comes when we let go of the load.