I love sharing this story.
Many years ago, I wanted to dispose of a massive, heavy wooden cabinet. I asked my friend, Joe Dean Sola, one of the strongest men I know, to help me carry it out of the house. (FYI, Jo Dean is the founder of He Cares Mission which takes care of poor street children.
My plan to get the cabinet out of the house was simple.
I told Joe Dean, “I’ll carry one end and you’ll carry the other end.”
We got into our positions. I said, “One… two… three!”
Obviously, he lifted his side. Easily. I, on the other hand, managed to produce a lot of noise. “Arrrggghhhhhhhhh!”
But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t lift that thing even by an inch off the floor.
That was when Joe Dean said, “Bo, we tried your way. Let’s do it my way.”
He bent down and told me, “Push the cabinet – let it lean on my back.”
His idea? Make that gigantic thing his backpack. I pushed the cabinet, let it lean on his back, and Joe Dean promptly moved forward, lifting the entire cabinet all by myself.
Well, actually, I was carrying it with him. I was doing all I could, helping him. Sort of. He was carrying 99% of the weight, and I carried 1%. And we carried the cabinet out of my house.
Do you know what I think? I believe we get into a lot of emotional trouble when we try to carry more than what God designed us to carry. How? We try to control what we cannot control. That’s why we get crushed by worry. And depression. And fear. And anger.
Friend, God is giving you a strong message.
He tells you, “We tried your way. It hasn’t worked. Let’s do it my way. Don’t try to carry your burdens by yourself. I’m here beside you. I will carry 99% of the weight of your burdens. You carry 1%. Because 99% of the things in the universe are beyond your control. What you can’t control, give it to me. Focus on the 1% that you can control.”
God is bigger—trust Him.
So, no matter what happens, at the end of the day, you can say, I will still praise Him.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
