Merry Christmas Friends
My favorite bible verse I’ve read a thousand times hit me like a ton of bricks.
It wasn’t until the darkest hour of my life that I finally understood it.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me…
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
-Matthew 11:28–30
But here’s the truth: when I hit rock bottom, it didn’t feel light. It felt like the world was crumbling around me.
Back in 2012, I lost a company I’d built that had once been valued at $56 million. Sheri and I lost our home, our cars, and everything we owned.
And in that space, broke, broken, and bitter – I found myself angry at God. I remember saying in my heart,
“You promised me. You said my burden would be light because of you. Why does it feel so heavy?”
And then it happened.
In the pit of my despair, the Holy Spirit whispered something that changed everything:
“Ben, you’re missing it.
My cross was never ‘light’ as in less heavy.
My burden is LIGHT… as in enLIGHTenment. Eternal light.
Intelligence. Transformation.”
The Miracle of Jesus Christ: Transforming the Burden
That truth hit me like a beam from heaven.
In that moment, in my minds eye, I saw the back of Jesus carrying His cross… but the cross was not wooden as I’ve always seen it.
It was illuminated. Lit up. Radiant. Not because it was light in weight, but because of the light that came from it.
That image is burned into my soul. I even had it created into a picture I keep framed in my closet, so I never forget it
His cross didn’t get easier, but it became light. And that is the miracle of Jesus Christ, who we are celebrating his birth this week for Christmas.
Friend, here’s one lesson I’ve learned in my life that I want you to know this Christmas:
Jesus Christ doesn’t always remove our burdens. But He does transform them.
He doesn’t always make them lighter, but He does turn our burdens INTO Light.
Just like 1 Peter 1:7 says, “The trial of your faith is more precious than fine gold.”
If you had to choose between gold, wealth, and no problems, or the trial of your faith that leads to eternal growth… which would you choose?
I know for me, I would choose gold wealth and ease…
But from a more zoomed-out perspective, the answer is clear.
We can’t take gold with us when we leave this earth, but we can take the growth.
This Christmas, maybe you’re facing something that feels unbearable.
Maybe it feels like your yoke is breaking you. But here’s what I want you to know:
The heaviest burdens are often the ones that bring the brightest light.
Kinda like when forging the strongest sword… ‘The hotter the fire, the stronger the steel.’
Collecting Light Unto Our Souls
Through Christ, our crosses don’t disappear, but they glow. They enLIGHTen.
They refine us. And ultimately, they help us become better people.
More patient, more loving, more understanding, more forgiving.
Dieter Uchtdorf once taught that part of our mission here on earth is to “collect light unto our souls.”
I really like this, and it resonates with me. This is what life’s trials allow us to do.
This season is about Light. The light of the world.
And because of Him, our burdens can become light, too.
So from my family to yours, I wish you peace, joy, and deep, radiant light this Christmas.
May your burdens be LIGHT.
Ben Ward
