Daily Devotional – A Heavy Load

²³Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

²⁴Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” – Matthew 5:23-24, KJV

A seminary professor had a habit of starting each new semester the same way. He would pass out a bag to each of his students. At the front of the room, he had a large bin filled with hundreds of baseballs.

He would invite all of his students to come to the front of the classroom. Then he would hand out markers. He instructed each student to write down every wrong they’d ever suffered.

When they were finished writing, they would put the baseball into their bag. After they were finished, the professor looked at the class, “Now, I want you to carry these bags everywhere you go until our next class. You take it everywhere, from your dorm to the cafeteria to your job. Keep it with you always.”

A week later, many of his students arrived with their bags. The professor pointed to a young man in the first row. “Tell us about your week…how do you feel?”

The young man sighed, “Tired. Lugging that thing around was exhausting. My neck ached from it.”

The professor nodded, “That heavy bag represents unforgiveness. Every time, you hold onto a wrong, you add weight to your bag, and it’s a weight that God didn’t intend for you to carry.”

God, help me to put down the load I’ve been carrying. I don’t want to hold onto unforgiveness. Show me how to release this burden so I can walk in freedom and healing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.