11/16/2023
A Glass of Water and Burdens:
Every now and then, I come across a great story that illustrates a powerful message or reminder. You may have heard different versions of this story, but it is a reminder about stress and the burdens we all deal with every day. The story goes that the lecturer was explaining stress management to an audience; he raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?”
Answers called out ranged from 12 ounces to 24 ounces. The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you hold it. If you hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem.”
“If you hold it for an hour, you’ll have an ache in your arm. If you hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer you hold it, the heavier it becomes.”
He continued, “If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while to rest before holding it again. When we are refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”
“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow,” he concluded. Rest and refresh before the next day of work. God was right about a day of rest.
