“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” -1 Peter 5:6-7
Dear Friends—
Awhile back, my young daughter and I were unloading groceries from Sam’s Club. As we began to unpack the car, I remember telling her to let me carry the heavy things. However, being the strong, independent minded child she is, she insisted on trying to carry a box of hot dogs that weighed almost as much as she did. I again encouraged her to let me carry the heavy things and I proceeded to take some other boxes inside. As I came back to the car, I saw her briefly lift the box of hot dogs before it quickly fell to the ground and smashed her foot. She immediately cried out in pain and frustration, “I can’t carry this, daddy!”—to which I replied, “You don’t have to carry that, Brooklyn. Give it to me.”
In 1 Peter 5:6-7, the Apostle Peter heartens us: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
During these challenging and uncertain times, do you find yourself feeling like you can’t bear the burdens of this pandemic any longer? Do you feel like you can’t carry the weight of your anxieties? Have you reached the point of crying out, “I can’t do this!”?
You are right—you can’t.
You need your Father to do the heavy lifting for you.
Too often, friends, we try to bear the burdens of life and carry our anxieties on our own, when all the while, we have a loving Father in Heaven who is saying, “Give them to me, you don’t have to carry those.”
This Easter weekend, I invite you to join me in casting all anxieties on God our Father as we celebrate the victory of Jesus over life’s greatest burdens—the burdens of sin and death. As the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This is our hope. This is our joy. This is our peace.
Jesus is risen!
Vince Torres
President & Executive Director