I have a surprisingly rare and vivid memory of my Dad holding me in his arms at a funeral visitation. I also remember him regularly rubbing my back to get me to sleep. He would stop, thinking I was asleep, but then I would utter a one-word request. “More!”

Decades later I still have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. I blame it not only on an overactive mind but also on the bag of burdens I carry around with me each day and take to bed each night. Finding a comfortable sleeping position with a rough, bulky bag of burdens is challenging at best.

This morning I awoke without an alarm and began a casual one-way conversation with God, but it wasn’t going well. My mind was both restless and weary. Soon I was vividly imagining myself as a little boy sitting on the side of my bed with Dad sitting beside me to my left. Then the scene changed, and God was beside me. I crawled up into God’s lap and let him hold me. No words were spoken between us, as nothing needed to be said. He didn’t try to set me down. If he had, I would have said, “More!”

Perhaps, like me, you sometimes feel life-tired. The weight of this world is much more than you and I can bear; nevertheless, we still pick up our bag of burdens each morning, carry it through day, and then take it to bed with us. No wonder we are weary.

John the Baptist said, “He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease.” We just need more time with the Father. May we let Him hold us!

Stan Means
Elder Source Senior Ministries
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