Letting Go Of What's Weighing You Down

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

I remember when I first discovered hair extensions. I had always wondered how the people on Instagram always had insanely long, thick locks. I could acquire one of those traits at a time, but never both. My hair was either short and voluminous, or long and fine. There was no having your cake and eating it too.

So after doing a little digging, I figured out that a lot of these girls wore hair extensions - clipped in pieces of hair to add the extra length and/or volume they were looking for. After a little more research, I found hair extensions that matched my hair color and texture, saved up some money, and purchased my very own set.

It didn’t take long for me to start wearing them, and I loved the way they looked. But one thing about hair extensions that I was not prepared for was the weight. These things were HEAVY. The longer I wore them, the more tension they put on my head, which brought on quite the headache the longer I wore them. I don’t know about you, but I can only tell myself “beauty is pain” so many times. After a while, I’m ready to rip those extensions out and throw my hair up in a messy bun that includes only the hair that is actually attached to my head.

As I think about my hair extension experience, I can’t help by chuckle at the metaphor it displays of how many of us (myself included) far too often carry the burden of trying to be something we’re not. And friend, let me tell you, that is a heavy load to bear.

Trying to act a certain way, look a certain way, speak a certain way, or change a certain aspect of your personality is exhausting, especially if you’re trying to change those things to please or appease someone else. And the longer and harder you try, the heavier the burden becomes.

Now, hear me. I’m not saying we all shouldn’t be trying to grow, mature, and improve ourselves. Sanctification is a lifelong process, and we should all be striving to become more like Christ every single day. But changing to become more like Jesus, and changing yourself to impress other people or meet some societal standard are two very different things.

So with that in mind, what heavy load are you ready to let go of? Are you tired of trying to change your hobbies and passions to “fit in”? Are you tired of compromising your values and beliefs to keep the attention of some guy? Are you tired of doing everything you can to be “pretty enough” so the world will accept you by their standard of beauty?

Well let me encourage you. You don’t have to keep exhausting yourself by carrying these burdens. There’s no time like the present to lay them at the feet of Jesus. He promises to give you peace and rest if you do. And who doesn’t want more rest and peace in their life?

Dear friend, it’s time to take off the metaphorical hair extensions. I promise when you do, you’ll be amazed at how much lighter you feel.