Why Don’t We Just Drop It Off?

The Moment

Sitting at the laundromat, waiting for my clothes to get done, I couldn’t help but notice the traffic of people coming in and out picking up clothes that someone else washed for them.

All they had to do was show up, drop the clothes off, and trust that it would get done.

Show up.

Drop it off.

Trust that it’d get done.

What a luxury it is to have someone do all of the hard work for you.

All of the sorting.

All of the washing and drying.

All of the folding and packing.

It must be nice.

Reflection

Why doesn’t everyone just get that done?

Wouldn’t it be nice to just put all of your loads in the hands of the worker? And not just any worker, but someone who is trained, skilled, and more than likely experienced in what they are doing.

This kind of work requires attention to detail because if not, there will be a price to pay if someone’s clothes are destroyed or damaged.

So, knowing these people are trained and can be trusted to fulfill the task at hand, why don’t we all seek this amenity?

The answer is simple:

Because there’s an extra cost associated with it.

Financially, it would be less expensive to just pull up and do it ourselves. We feel as though every penny we save is worth it, so we don’t mind sitting there waiting for hours, when we could be doing something else productive… holding on to pennies.

But on the flip side, maybe it would cost too much to be exposed.

Exposed how?!

You have to think about it; the clothing that needs washing are dirty. Stained. They contain personal undergarments and, more than likely, bodily fluids. Some of which would probably leave you embarrassed.

You fear being talked about.

Looked at funny.

Judged.

...and don't want to be made ashamed.

Some may even go as far as saying we’re witnessing a spoiled generation, and honestly, there may be some truth to that.

Others may say, “If we can do it ourselves, why not just do it?”

But there is this old saying that goes "Work Smarter; Not Harder"!!

Revelation

And quite honestly, I can think of a few reasons why we should consider putting it in the hands of the qualified. If we're being honest, we can say that if we do it ourselves:

1. There may be a strong possibility it won't get done right. -Lack of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom

2. There's a strong possibility it would be left incomplete. -Lack of patience and discipline

3. And there's also the chance of it not being done at all. -Procrastination and comfortability.

Shift

Hmmm.... the same way this is true in the natural is the same way this is true in the spirit-

There's an old hymn written by written by an Irish preacher, Joseph M. Scriven in 1855 as a poem to comfort his mother, who was ill in Ireland while he was in Canada. The song simply says:

"What a friend we have in Jesus.

All our sins and griefs to bare-

what a privilege to carry-

everything to God in prayer.

Oh, what peace we often forfeit.

And oh' what needless pain we bare-

all because we do not carry,

everything to God in prayer."

One of my favorite songs!!

I used to listen to that song, just to sing it. But it wasn't until a certain point in my life, where I actually started to focus less on being moved by the rhythm of a beat or melody and more on what was actually being said in songs, that I was convicted.

God wants to carry our burdens. We were never meant to carry them alone.

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)

“28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Truth

Just as the song says, imagine how much we hold on to-

Imagine how much weight we feel because we don't go to God.

We're too ashamed.

Too prideful.

Have too much trust in self.

Too lazy.

Stuck in our ways.

Undisciplined.

Faithless.

Or maybe… too used to carrying things on our own.

But do we NOT know who HE IS?!

Our Heavenly Father, God, is the creator!

He's the master and ruler of all things.

He's omniscient and omnipotent!

He is strong and mighty!

He's El Shaddai.

He is EL Elyon.

He is more than capable, yet we still hide from Him and refuse to seek Him.

And honestly, that’s what makes it so heartbreaking.

Because unlike the worker at the laundromat, God already knows what’s inside the bag before we even bring it to Him.

He already knows what’s stained.

What’s dirty.

What’s been hidden.

What’s been sitting too long.

What’s been neglected.

Yet He still says, “Bring it to Me.”

He wants it.

Not so He can expose us…

But so, He can cleanse us.

Not so He can shame us…

But so, He can restore us.

And maybe that’s the real issue.

Maybe we struggle to come to God because we still think like humans.

Humans expose.

Humans judge.

Humans gossip.

Humans mishandle fragile things.

But God is not man.

He is a healer.

A restorer.

A deliverer.

He knows how to handle what’s broken without destroying it further.

And if we’re being honest, some of us are exhausted because we keep trying to wash in our own strength what only God can truly make clean.

We sort it.

We hide it.

We soak it.

We scrub it.

We carry it.

Only to still walk away stained.

Not because God refused to help…

But because we refused to release it.

Closing

And the truth is, surrender costs.

It costs pride.

It costs control.

It costs self-sufficiency.

But what we gain in return is far greater.

Peace.

Rest.

Healing.

Freedom.

All because we finally decided to place it in the right hands.

So now the question becomes:

What are you still carrying that God has already invited you to release?

Tonight, take inventory.

What bag have you been dragging around out of fear, shame, pride, hurt, or control?

What burden have you normalized carrying simply because you’ve held it for so long?

Maybe it’s time to stop trying to handle everything on your own.

Maybe it’s time to finally bring it to God.

And maybe… just maybe… what’s waiting on the other side of your surrender is the peace you’ve been praying for all along.

Let's Pray:

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, teach me how to release what I was never meant to carry. And not just a portion of it, God, but all of it.

Help me to remember that you are not like man nor do you have man's characteristics that would make me hesitant to trust you.

Abba, give me the humility to come to You honestly and the faith to trust that Your hands are capable of handling every part of me.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.