The Weight of the World

It sits at the entrance to Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan, its very presence a not-so-subtle statement about the buildings that loom above it. Fifteen feet tall and weighing a whopping seven tons, the huge bronze sculpture of Atlas bearing the burden of the world on his shoulders — every muscle straining, his legs bent under the weight of what he must carry — greets visitors to what has long been the epicenter of both business and media, in the heart of New York City.

As residents scurry past, and tourists linger on, I wonder: How many pause to consider that sculpture as a reflection of their own lives — burdened under a weight they were never intended to bear? Because that’s the way life feels sometimes, isn’t it? Little by little and piece by piece, we accumulate the cares and concerns and worries of this life, until it seems like the entire weight of the world is on our back, doubling us over as we struggle to make it from one day to the next.

When the burdens pile up, people try all sorts of things in an attempt to get relief. Some work longer and harder, thinking they’ll slowly climb their way out of the hole they find themselves in. Others seclude and isolate themselves, blaming those around them for their troubles, and allowing worry to gnaw away at their soul. And some choose the escape route, abusing drugs and alcohol in an attempt to make the pain go away.

At the heart of the matter is the desire to be in control — to be masters of our own fate, the captain of our soul. Which, of course, is nothing more than an illusion, since, as Jesus pointed out, we’re powerless to add even a single hour to our life (Matthew 6:27). But we think we’re in charge, and that keeps us on the search for a solution of our own making, something that will at least bring temporary relief from the burdens we bear.

But there’s a better, more biblical approach, one that Jesus Himself modeled for us. Instead of taking it all upon ourselves, the Bible teaches us to surrender — to let go of our incessant need for control. We’re not very good at it, anyways. And when we let God have His rightful place in our lives — when we surrender to His will, instead of our own — we discover the secret the Apostle Paul wrote about: We learn to be satisfied and content, no matter what our circumstances happen to be (see Philippians 4:11-13).

Don’t get me wrong — there’s nothing easy about giving up control. It flies in the face of every message that the culture bombards us with. Surrendering to God is an act of faith, where we deliberately place our trust in Him, instead of going our own way.

But if Atlas could talk, I’m sure he’d say this: There’s nothing easy about carrying the weight of the world, either.