God doesn't Remove Our Burdens, He Helps Carry Them.

​"I wish this post-divorce weight would just go away."

I have felt that at times the last 5 years.

Sometimes intensely.

There's a guy in the bible who gets it. Intensely.

His name was Jacob.

Jacob had a favorite son, Joseph, which deeply angered his brothers. Jealous of their father's special love for him, the brothers plotted to get rid of Joseph. They tricked Jacob into believing Joseph had been killed by a wild animal, while secretly selling him into slavery.

Their jealousy and deceit left Jacob heartbroken, convinced he'd lost the son he loved most.

Twenty-two years later, during a great famine, Joseph's brothers traveled to Egypt seeking food, not knowing Joseph had become a powerful leader there. When Joseph revealed himself, the brothers were shocked and terrified. But Joseph forgave them, recognizing God's greater plan. Overwhelmed, the brothers returned home and told their father, Jacob, the unimaginable truth—Joseph was alive!

Jacob was skeptical. He'd carried the weight of grief all these years. How could it even be possible that Joseph was alive?

Then the bible tells us: "But when they (the brothers) told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived."

Sometimes we are too focused on the weight of our problems to see the wagons God has sent to us. Sometimes we are too focused on eliminating our weights to realize God's not on board with eliminating our weight, but rather he wants us to get on board with his desire to help us carry them.

When we put our faith in our weight and not in our God, we can miss the wagons.

When I put my faith in my weight and not the wagons God has parked outside my window, I can miss...

Unexpected friendships or supportive connections: People God placed in my path to offer support or encouragement, connections I am sure I've overlooked or undervalued at times.

Moments of quiet reassurance: The gentle reminders on my walks and hikes or quiet times where God whispered that I'm not alone—even when life is feeling chaotic or uncertain.

Opportunities that are constantly emerging from my hardship: Invitations to speak, write, or connect with others specifically because of my experiences, turning pain into purpose.

My own personal growth and resilience: New perspectives and deeper empathy, signs that God has been quietly reshaping me, even when outward circumstances don't always feel like they are being reshaped the way I'd like them to be.

Deeper bonds with my two boys: Conversations that feel like a stronger relationship is coming alive through our shared challenges.

I know our weights are real.

I know they are heavy, for sure.

But they can also be blinding. They can blind us from seeing the wagons God has sent to help carry our weights.

Not carry them away.

Not make them disappear; we will always be carrying ALL of us all of our lives. Divorce will ALWAYS be a weight I carry.

But God isn't afraid of my weight. In fact, I suppose in some ways God delights in our weights. He sees weight as an opportunity. Because it's in our weights that we are best positioned to see all the wagons that only God can send to help carry them.

Best positioned, that is, when our faith is in the wagons rather than the weight.