The smell of hay always takes me back to my childhood days of growing up on the family farm. Along with the crops grown on the farm, my father also raised cows. Some of my earliest memories are of walking with Daddy to the barn to feed the cows hay. In wintertime when there was not enough grass, it was essential to feed the livestock every day. The particular type of hay we fed our cattle was made from peanut vines. The cash crop in Southwest Georgia is peanuts. After harvesting peanuts, the dried vines are then machine raked and another machine compresses the vines to create large bales of hay. A typical bale of hay is about three feet long, nearly two feet across, and at least a foot and a half tall. To bind each bale of hay the same machine that compresses the hay from the field also wraps two thick pieces of twine around the hay to keep in all together until a farmer needs it for feed. Depending on how tight the machine packs the hay, one bale can easily weigh 40 to 50 pounds.
As a young boy, I marveled at the strength of my dad who could carry a bale of hay from the barn into the field for the waiting hungry mouths of every bovine staring at him. I wanted so badly to help my father with his chores. But because of the weight of the bales, it was not possible for me to even feed one heifer or steer. The closest I could come to moving a bale was to slide it a few inches across the barn floor in an effort to save my dad a few steps. Overall, I felt helpless. I did not have the strength of my father to lift the heavy bales to take it out to the pasture to the cows. For me, the bales were too compressed, too heavy, and bound too tightly by the twine.
One day my frustration over my helplessness turned to resounding joy. As my father and I walked over to the barn one afternoon, I asked him why the machines had to make the bales so large and weigh so much. I recall telling my dad how I longed to be more useful, but did not feel capable of handling such a heavy bale of hay. That day when we arrived at the barn, my father took a bale of hay down from the stack and took something out of his pocket that I was too young to carry. He took out his knife and cut the twine. Instantly, the bale of hay loosened into many smaller pieces. My father, without saying anything, put away his knife and smiled as he looked down at me. His smile spoke volumes. He was so proud of me because I trusted in him to let him know I felt my burden was too heavy. And my father, without hesitation after hearing my plea, cut the twine on the hay so that I could easily handle what was once a burden too heavy to carry.
There are many burdens in life which are like a heavy bale of hay. No matter how hard we try, we realize life has bound our burdens so tightly that we often feel hopeless and frustrated. Fortunately, we have a Father in Heaven who wants to give us rest from our burdens. Jesus promises us in his invitation to “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” (Matt. 11:28-30). Just as my daddy heard my plea about the heavy bales of hay, so too will our Heavenly Father hear our cry. Regardless of your heavy burden, walk with the Lord and tell him your burdens. Trust in Him to cut whatever twine is binding your life.