I was thinking about my mom this past Resurrection Sunday and the kind of person God made her.  She was definitely a burden carrier and she was amazing at it.  She would meet people all the time and they would just open up and share with her their problems.  Now, there are many of us who have that gift of listening, but she took it one more step.  She wouldn’t just know about their burdens she would take them on.  I prayed about this and realized that God had molded her heart in a way so that others could feel joy when they were around her.  My prayer is that I would be molded into a burden carrier.  It is a dangerous prayer because you really must know that your life is not yours.  You must pray for people but more so you must be willing to carry burdens that are not your own.  This means you are able to release your burdens on to Christ at the foot of the cross.  We are called to live in his image and one of the several amazing things about Jesus was his ability to take on the pain of those who crossed his path, so that they would feel some peace.  Obviously, he did this in an Ultimate way on the cross, but he also did it daily with his disciples and those who came across his path.  We too have a chance to let others feel peace by standing in the gap for them.  Letting God know we trust his power and his mercy and we are willing to take on a burden that may be too big for someone to take on alone.  Many times in our lives we do not share our burdens or our brokenness because of the shame we feel or because we feel like we are the only ones suffering or struggling in that way.  When this happens it causes us to turn away from God, but when you are a burden carrier, you cannot turn away even if you want too!  You see people’s hearts are what matter and the more we draw near to Christ the more we start to care for those close to us, but also for those who are not saved.  You see our desire to live for our self, is one that comes from our flesh and this world.  A lot of times we see things happen to people and we feel for them, but rarely do we carry it to our hearts. I think it is an amazing and beautiful thing for someone to surrender to becoming a burden carrier for Christ.  My mom willingly did it though she knew it would take a toll on her daily, but I would see the healing in those people’s lives that she did it for.  I have been able to do it a few times in my life, and I do believe more will come as I completely submit myself to God.  I challenge you my friends to be willing to let Christ carry your burdens so that you many become a burden carrier for others and allow his Light to shine through you!  Amen!