Bearing our Blessings
something that is carried; a load
a duty or responsibility
something oppressive or worrisome
that which is borne with difficulty
an obligation
These are all definitions of the word burden. And today, I felt each one of them in one way or another. Today, I allowed myself to become burdened. By nothing in particular, but everything in general.
This narrative is not a novel one: that we should reframe our burdens as blessings. And for good reason. Because while there are certainly burdens in life that are so heavy it's hard to see the good...most generally in our first-world culture, burdens are the product of abundance.
Nonetheless, today I felt it all. Overwhelmed. Anxious. Crushed under the weigh of expectations (albeit mostly my own). I was just...burdened. And instead of letting those feelings become oppressive, as the very definition implies, I thought would unpack and try to appreciate these “burdens” for what they truly are.
Burden: I had a work call that didn't come in when I thought it was going to and then ran way later than expected. // Blessing: I have a job that is flexible and allows me the freedom to work from home. And I have bosses who love my kids and wanted to say hi when they heard them in the background.
Burden: I had to dig out our checkbook to pay our water bill because the rural water district doesn't do auto-drafts or online payments. // Blessing: I have clean, running water in my house. In. My. House. I have lived in places that do not have this, and trust me...it is a blessing.
Burden: I was tripping over the open suitcases on the floor of our entryway, still laying around unpacked from a trip we got home from more than a few days ago. // Blessing: We have the means to travel to see family and friends who live over 500 miles away.
Burden: Lexi informed me that she got blood from a scratch on her sheets during nap. Her white sheets. That I had just washed. // Blessing: My daughter has her own bed in her own room where she gets to lay her head down at night with a roof over her head. And she can sleep just as soundly in sheets that are dirty as she does in sheets that are clean.
Burden: I did three loads of laundry today only to have the basket piled full with dirties again because #farmlife. // Blessing: We all have an abundance of clothes to wear and machines that wash and dry those clothes for us when they’re dirty. Because we have indoor plumbing…and water in our house.
Burden: Because my work call went late, I needed to feed the baby as soon as I hung up. So my husband offered to cook, which left the kitchen looking like a war zone. // Blessing(s): I am able to feed my baby with my own body. Whoa. We have more than enough food to eat in our fridge…and our pantry. I have a husband who is willing to cook…and clean up.
Burden: All. Of. The. Pine. Needles. On. The. Floor. // Blessing: We have a beautiful Christmas tree that we got to decorate as a family, making the sweetest memories and the beginnings of family traditions.
Burden: There are a hundred things on the "to do" list that seems to just keep growing. Every day, it feels like I take one step forward and then fall on my face. It can often feel like there is not enough of me to go around. // Blessing: I have job where my work is valued. I have a family that needs (and appreciates) me. I have a beautiful house, a running car and more love in my life than I know what to do with.
If you're feeling burdened today too, know that it's ok. It's ok to feel those hard feelings. It's ok to acknowledge that some days are just too much. But as you sit in those hard moments, remember that you are most likely bearing your blessings.
With grace,
