God often uses our everyday experiences to teach us important lessons. This was the case when I was a boy of 10 or 12 and had an afternoon paper route.
It was fun to be able to ride my bike up and down the streets near our home and deliver newspapers to the customers along my route. It was fun to have my own job and get a pay envelope once a month with a little spending money earned all by myself. But it was not fun to come home all soaking wet and have to wring water out of my clothes after delivering papers in the pouring rain. That didn’t happen too often, and plastic bags were always provided to keep the papers dry.
Some customers were fussy and had to have their paper always neatly placed on the top step near the door. Others were not so fussy, and I could just toss the paper from my bike as I continued down the street. Sometimes my aim was good, and the paper landed neatly near the door. But sometimes my aim was bad, and then I would have to get off my bike and undo what had happened, like digging the paper out of the bushes.
On one particular occasion I remember throwing the paper and hitting the side of a house... a house sided with asbestos shingles. You can probably guess what happened... I had a broken shingle to show for my carelessness. The problem now was, what should I do. I had no power to undo the damage. Instead, I carried the worry of that broken shingle as I finished my route and returned, home.
Perhaps this is a little like the burden of sin that we carry with us, as we are reminded of the many times we have gone our own way and it has gotten us into trouble. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6). This verse tells us that we don’t need to continue carrying our burden of sin, because God has made a way for our burden to be removed. God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, into this world to die in our place and bear the punishment for our sins so that we can go free. What we are not able to do God has done for us. Now we can simply accept His free salvation and thank Him for it. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John 1:1212But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12).
I am happy to say that I didn’t have to continue carrying the burden of the broken shingle either.
As soon as I got home I told my dad what I had done. He collected a few tools, and together we went over to the house where I had broken the shingle. He was able to repair the damage so that all was made right once more.
How thankful I was each time I passed that house to see the shingle wasn’t still broken. How thankful you will be, too, if you’ll talk to the Lord Jesus about your sins; ask Him to remove your burden of sin and wash your heart clean with His precious blood. The work has all been done by Another. There at Calvary’s cross the Lord Jesus suffered, bled, and died to set you free. There’s nothing more for you to do.
ML-07/27/1986