In a dream, I was performing a task and I was very, very sad about it. A man came along beside me and questioned me—not in a challenging way, but in a very compassionate way. He was asking me if I really needed to do this task, or if he could do it for me.

I reflected on times in my life where I knew that I was supposed to handle things myself because the Lord had required me to do so. In those times, I was very certain that I was called to carry this matter, and not because I wanted control. I simply had a knowing that carrying this was going to help with the very thing that I was seeking at that time. If someone offered to help, I would simply say, “No, thank you”, and the offeror would stand back.

In the dream, I told the kind man that I thought I needed to do this. I began crying, but I needed to keep going. Upon awakening from the dream, I found that I was indeed crying. As I asked the Lord about this dream and began to ponder it, I realized: Was this task really something I needed to do because I needed to pacify my guilt, punish myself, or ‘pay the price’? Or was this loving, kind, compassionate man – Jesus – asking me if he could please help me with it?

Many times when we carry or shoulder something, we never stop to ask the Lord, “should I be giving this up?” If we listen for that still, small voice, we will hear the words, “You don’t have to carry that.” We need to be diligent in asking, “What is it that I am carrying that He wants me to set down, to let go of, to give to Him (roll your burdens onto His shoulders; cast your cares)?”

The man who asked me if he could carry this for me was kind, loving, compassionate, caring, genuine, and—Christ-like. He has already carried burdens for us, so before we pick something up and or keep carrying it because we feel like we ‘should’, ask Him “should I set this down – or should I carry it?”