What a Relief!

Several years ago, the Rolaid’s® commercial used this question in their ads, “How do you spell relief?...R-O-L-A-I-D-S”. After a meal of spicy food or junk food and your stomach feels in knots, pop in a couple of Rolaid’s® and things will feel better. Relief from anything is practically always welcomed.

This last week was a week of “relief” for many people. Wednesday was the day your taxes were due. After Wednesday, accountants could finally take a break. Each year is long and busy for accountants. Since I have my taxes done by a self-employed accountant, I will talk to her occasionally throughout the process of finishing up my taxes. I have heard how stressful it can be, but how much they look forward to April 16th! Both of the individuals that have prepared my taxes in my ministry career have taken off for a week or more after the tax deadline. April 16th is a day of relief. So how do accountants spell relief? A-P-R-I-L-1-6…what a great day!

Whether you are an accountant or a general tax payer, having your taxes completed is a nice feeling of relief. For me, even if I have to pay in, it is still a relief to have them completed.

I use the tax deadline day as a springboard for this week’s topic of relief. Having recently moved, then moved again, I know what it is like to set something down and not feel the burden that I had when I was carrying the load. In our house, I was “lucky” enough to get to carry all three pieces of a sectional down through our house and down the stairs. The stairs are not a straight shot down, so some of the pieces took some finagling to get them down the stairs properly. After three, I was welcoming that relief…with open arms!!!

Burdens are burdensome. I don’t say that with sarcasm, but to say that the whole concept of burdensome indicates that they weigh us down. Oftentimes, mentally, as much as, physically. With burdens, as much as we want to lay them down, we don’t. We tend to keep on carrying them like a child who cannot give up his pacifier or blanket. The child may know that they are too old, but cannot give it up.

Christ came to give us back the opportunity which sin stole from us. Sin separates us from Purity (God). We are no longer pure, so we have to walk around with the burden that we are stained. No one likes to walk around with a stained shirt, do they? There is such a relief to get that shirt off and put a clean one on. However, imagine no shirts available? You have to walk around your entire life with that stain. That is the way sin works. Once sin comes into your life, you must walk around your entire life with that stain because there is nothing you can do to get it off.

Christ died and was raised again to give us the chance to get the stain out. We thought there wasn’t a way to lift the stain, but Jesus said otherwise. The day when the stain is removed is such a relief! You finally get to relax a bit because your conscience is now clean. What happens when you “spill” something on your clothed-with-Christ outfit? Do you have to walk around with that burden again that you are stained? Thankfully, each day, you can have new clothes. We are able to be renewed day by day. You can lay the burden down. Not just the ones that may be stained with yesterday’s sins, but the other burdens/stresses that you are carrying around.

After taxes are finished, it is such a relief. After you put something heavy down, it is such a relief. After you give things to God, you will find such relief!