Beast of Burden

That donkey, that donkey, that sweet little donkey has been on my mind for many weeks now. That donkey, that donkey, who carried His burden has brought me closer to God.

He already knew. He knew what was coming, but thank God He was granted this gift. A moment of rest, a reminder of care as His journey was unfolding before Him. He wasn’t alone; that donkey, that donkey, that support that awaited his arrival. That donkey, that donkey, that little beast of burden took on the weight of Jesus and carried him through. He gave Him that moment to take in the cheers to take in the love of the children. When Jesus moved towards that valley alone, no, the donkey was there to carry Him.

Years before another young person was carried towards a new beginning, this time, a young woman who said yes. When she finally became so heavy with life and could not walk on her own, there was that donkey that helped her to a stable where joy was revealed.

So again we find ourselves years later, after saying many wonderful things and doing many wonderful deeds, this woman’s son also riding a gentle donkey towards another powerful chapter in His life and ours. It is the Wednesday before Maundy Thursday, the last supper begins, and Jesus has what he needs.

This Holy Week, I give thanks for the donkey, the reminder we’re never alone. When we feel the most alone through our trials and tribulations, remember like Jesus, there was the donkey. The donkey, the beast of burden.

I leave you today with love and light and this poem that has been with me since I was a teenager. LT

Footprints in the Sand

By Mary Stevenson, 1936

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”