Being a Burden to Others
None of us know how long we will live. We do not know what will happen to us before we die. We do not know if we will remain healthy, and then die in an accident or of a sudden heart attack, or if we will have cancer or some other debilitating disease that will make us dependent on others. We just don't know. However, most of us do not ever want to be a burden to those around us. This is especially true of our family. We see this reality in the life of one of David's friends, Barzillai. David invited him to come back to Jerusalem with him when he returned from the battle with Absalom. (II Samuel 19:34,35) However, Barzillai declined his offer. He realized that he was getting old, and he was unable to do a lot of things he did before. He did not want to be a burden, so he returned home to live out his years in simplicity and comfort. I think we all need to consider God's will in these situations.
We all want to be independent. We want to live as long as we can and still be active. We want to live in our own home, drive our own car, and take care of ourselves. We do not want to be a burden, even though we are getting weaker with every passing year. What do we do? We must trust the Lord to show us how to live and what to do. We must modify the things we do, so that we do not do too much, realizing we can't do everything we have always done. We need to accept this as God's way of preparing us to go and be with Him in heaven. At the same time, we need to plan and prepare for all of the possibilities that could happen, so we will not be a burden on others. However, even with all we can do, there is the possibility we may need help from our family or others. That is why God gave us family and friends. We must not be so stubborn that we do not let them help us when we really need their help. God has a wonderful plan for each of us. First, He desires for us to know Christ as our Lord and Savior. Then, He wants us to live in faith every day, until He takes us home. Since He knows all of our days, and He has a plan, let's rest in His plan and let Him care for us. We are never a burden for the Lord.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 20-22.