02/02/2022 Principal's Note
If you haven't sat down and watched the movie Encanto with your family, I highly recommend it. Of course, the animation is eye-catching and you will never stop singing the songs (Google "We Don't Talk About Bruno"), it is a Disney movie after all. There is a great message about an individual's worth running deeper than their outward gifts and talents (hello, redeemed children of God!). When I watched the movie with my family, I couldn't help but connect with one of the characters, and if you are an administrator, manager, or the one who keeps your household running, you probably will too: Luisa.
Long story short and with as few spoilers as possible, Luisa possesses superhuman strength. Throughout the course of the movie, you find out that Luisa is feeling overwhelmed with the burdens and responsibilities she is asked to carry and ascribes her worth to whether she can carry them without buckling under their weight. "Who am I if I can't carry it all?" she asks in her character's anthem. Sound familiar?
Life on earth is often compared to running a race, only in this race, as you progress, someone is filling the pack on your back with dumbbells. The longer you live, the more burdens you carry, whether they are related to health, family, friends, knowledge, past sins, the list could go on forever. As those weights pile up, your knees get weak, your back starts to ache, and getting to the finish line feels like it will take a miracle.
Of course, that miracle happened. God sent his Son Jesus, and Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NIV 2011). Go to God with those loads, and he will slide that pack off your shoulders and give you relief. You know what that feels like physically when you've had to hold something heavy for a while (like a child?), and then you finally get to put it down and stretch out your arms and shoulders. It feels amazing! That's what Jesus offers here spiritually. But it gets even better! Just following verse 28, Jesus continues: "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 11:29-30, NIV 2011). A yoke is a device used to spread out a heavy load between two pack animals, usually oxen. But now picture this: the other one harnessed with you is the Son of God, Jesus! Can you imagine how easy it is to carry ANY burden with the all-powerful Son of God helping you? It's like when I ask my three-year-old to help me carry something; I don't really need his help, and he thinks he's bearing some of the load, but I am actually carrying everything. That's how our God can help us in our lives once we stop trying to shoulder our burdens alone. Go to him, and he will give you rest from all your troubles with the beautiful message of salvation.
Talk to your kids about that. They carry burdens too, and they need to know that they aren't alone. They have you, they have their teachers, but, most importantly, they are yoked to Almighty God himself!
Have a blessed rest of your week!
In Christ,
Principal Bill Fuerstenau