The Little Red Rocking Chair

“Mommy, help! This is too heavy!”

My parents and I were visiting our favorite children’s store. Not only did it carry high quality clothing, but it arranged a corner in the back with toys, a TV and tiny red rocking chairs for the children to enjoy while their parents shopped.

I turned around to find my toddler dragging the chair she had been sitting in.

“Honey, that belongs to the store. You can’t take it with you.” I tugged on it, but she held on tight.

Chuckles erupted all around.

“This is my chair!” she stated as she struggled to carry it out the door.

The other shoppers stopped browsing, expectant of the eruption that brewed in the air.

The ambulance’s siren sounded like a whisper next to my daughter’s shriek.

The clothing racks were too short for me to hide under, and the door was too far for me to escape.

I would’ve laughed at the sight of the determined little girl struggling to carry a load heavier than her own body, but all the laser-like, new moms’ eyes were on me, curiously waiting for an effective strategy they could apply with their own children.

Thankfully my dad came into her rescue and purchased the chair.

He caught up with my daughter, who was hunched over from the weight of her cargo.

He grabbed the chair with one hand, picked her up with the other and walked out the door.

She hugged his neck, kissed his cheek and smiled.

Fast forward twenty-five years.

Burdened by difficult situations in my life I sat down to pray. My heart was so heavy I didn’t know where to begin. A pounding headache made it hard to even think clearly.

I opened my Bible and my eyes landed on Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because 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. (CJB)

 

I surrendered all my problems at the foot of the Cross.

I imagined the weight, too heavy for me, turning into a speck of sand in Jesus’ hand.

Suddenly His peace replaced my pounding headache, and my heart could rest knowing not only that He’s in control, but that He’d carry me through it all.

Like a scene from an old movie, I replayed that moment in the children’s store.

That chair that was too heavy for my daughter to carry was so light for my dad that he grabbed it with one hand as he picked up his precious girl with the other.

A perfect representation of the Lord’s love for us.

Now, every time I feel the load of life’s problems, I remember the little red rocking chair.

And I run to the Cross.

Give it a try. His hands are big enough to carry your little red rocking chair as well.