Joel Osteen - The Blessing And The Burden (03/24/2017)
Joel Osteen teaches that every blessing from God comes packaged with a burden, using examples like Mary’s favor in carrying the Messiah amid misunderstanding, David’s anointing followed by Saul’s pursuit, and personal stories to show that focusing on the blessing rather than the burden leads to joy and fulfillment. He urges believers to maintain a good attitude, recognizing that God entrusts heavy burdens only to those He knows can handle them with faith, ultimately propelling them into greater destiny.
I want to talk to you today about «The Blessing and The Burden». We all love when a dream comes to pass. We get the promotion, we move into the new house, we meet the right person. We know that is the favor of God. But with every blessing comes a burden. Life is full of contradictions.
It is a blessing to move into that bigger house. It is a burden to have more to clean. It is a blessing to have that baby. It is a burden to get up in the middle of the night. It is a blessing to marry that beautiful girl. It is a burden to not have any more money.
God blessed me with a large ministry, with opportunity, with influence. But with this big blessing came big burdens: more critics, more opposition, more funds to raise, more responsibility. The mistake we make is we want the blessing without the burden. That is not reality. They come as a package.
The key is to learn to enjoy the blessing while the burden is still there. Some burdens are not going to go away. Not being negative, but you will never get to a place where you are problem-free: nobody is talking about you, no conflict, no traffic, no bills.
If you are always trying to pray away the burdens, you will be frustrated. God would not have given you the blessing if you could not handle the burden. It all boils down to what we are focusing on.
Change Your Perspective
«Well, Joel, when my baby gets out of diapers, when they are not so much work, then I will be happy again.» That child is a gift from God. Some people would give anything to have a baby like yours. Do not stay focused on the burden and miss the blessing.
Or, «When these people stop talking about me, then I will not be upset.» The reason they are talking about you is because you are making a difference. God has blessed you with influence. With that blessing comes opposition. It is a part of the package. Do not be frustrated by it.
«If I did not have to deal with these coworkers taking all my time and energy, then I would not be stressed out.» You prayed for a promotion. God answered your prayer, gave you a management position. Do not pray for a bigger blessing if you are going to complain about a bigger burden.
The problem is you are focused on the burden. You need to change your perspective. Start looking for what is right, seeing what is good. You have the grace to be where you are with a good attitude, not sour, discouraged.
Why is this taking so long? Enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going. Life is a journey. After you accomplish this goal, there will be another mountain to climb, another set of burdens to deal with.
Do not get so caught up in where you are going that you miss the beauty of this moment. Enjoy the season that you are in.
If we are not careful, we will not enjoy our teens. We are in a hurry to get out of school. We will not enjoy our twenties. We are stressed out trying to find a job, trying to meet the right person.
We will not enjoy our thirties. We are pressured raising these kids, trying to be good parents. We will not enjoy our forties. We are trying to get into management, get that promotion, make sure we have savings.
At some point, you have to put your foot down and say, «This is the day the Lord has made. I am going to enjoy where I am right now. I may have a few burdens. I know it is because I have big blessings. It is because God has been good to me.»
Paul’s New Perspective
See, you could be in one of the best seasons of your life and not realize it because you are focused on what you do not like, on how long it is taking, on somebody that is not doing right. Instead of enjoying the blessing, you are letting the burdens weigh you down.
My brother Paul was the chief of surgery in a hospital in Little Rock for many years. At one point, he and his wife Jennifer had three children under the age of six. Paul was working eighty hours a week at the hospital, and then he would come home and have babies to deal with, diapers to change, and kids waking up in the middle of the night. He was very stressed out.
One day, an elderly patient that he had known for many years came in for a checkup, and she had recently lost her husband of over fifty years. Paul was in a hurry that day as usual, running late to the next appointment. He rushed through her exam, trying to make up for lost time.
Just as he was about to leave, she asked if she could speak to him for a moment. He thought it was going to be a medical question, some big health issue, but she said, «Doctor Paul, I just want to know how you are doing.»
Paul was kind of taken aback, and he apologized for being in such a hurry and explained how things were very hectic at home with the little babies and how he had been swamped at the office. He said, «I am just a little frustrated right now. It is a very difficult season. I wish I had more time. I cannot wait to get through it.»
He knew she had lost her husband, and being polite, he asked her how she was doing and if there was anything she wished for. Her eyes lit up. She said, «Oh, Doctor Paul, I would give anything to be where you are as a young parent. I would give anything to hear the pitter-patter of my children running through the house again. I would love to be able to change a diaper, to rock them back to sleep. How I long for those days.»
She looked Paul in the eyes and said, «One day, you are going to miss the very thing you are trying to hurry through.» Paul left that day with a new perspective. He could not wait to get home to change a diaper. He looked forward to getting up in the middle of the night and rocking his children back to sleep.
What happened? He went from focusing on the burdens to focusing on the blessings. Are you trying to hurry through a season, focused on what you do not like—upset, frustrated? There is a blessing in that season. God would not have you there if there was not something good.
If you would do like Paul and change your perspective—instead of focusing on the burdens, start focusing on the blessing—then you will enjoy your life and not just endure it.
The College Student’s Letter
I heard about this college student. She wrote her parents a letter: «Dear Mom and Dad, there was a riot on campus. From the smoke inhalation, I developed a life-threatening lung disease. At the hospital, I met a parking lot attendant. We fell in love. Our baby is on the way. After one month, when he gets off probation, I am going to drop out of college. We are going to move to Alaska and get married. Signed, your loving daughter.»
At the bottom, there was a P. S. It said, «None of this is true, but I did fail chemistry.» She wanted to make sure her parents had the right perspective.
Could it be the things that are bothering you, stealing your joy—in the big picture, it is not as bad as you think? You have magnified it, made it bigger than it really is. You need to shift your focus from the burdens to the blessing, from what you do not have to what you do have, from what is wrong in your life to what is right in your life.
Maybe you are at a challenging time at work. Instead of complaining, focusing on the burden, the right attitude is, «Lord, I am grateful to have this job. I know people that are unemployed. Father, thank You for blessing me with this opportunity.»
Instead of complaining about your spouse, focusing on what you do not like: «Lord, thank You for blessing me with my spouse. They are not perfect. They have some flaws—so do I. But Lord, I am grateful that I have somebody in my life to love.»
If you stay focused on the burdens, on what you do not like, over time it is going to sour your relationship. A mature person knows how to enjoy the blessing while the burden is still there.
Do not put your life on hold waiting for everything to be perfect. Then you are going to be happy. Then you are going to start being your best. The way to pass the test is to be your best right where you are—in the midst of the difficulty, when you are not being treated right, when the medical report is not good.
Friends, life is flying by. We have no guarantee that we are going to be here tomorrow. Make the most of this day. There will always be something to deal with, something to worry аbout: people, traffic, opposition, health issues.
If you stay focused on your burdens, you will not enjoy your blessings.
Mary’s Favor and Burden
In the Book of Luke, an angel appeared to a young lady named Mary. He said, «Mary, you are highly favored of God. You are going to have a baby without knowing a man. He will be the Messiah.» You could not get any more favored. You have just been told you are going to give birth to the Savior of the world.
Mary was blessed, but with that blessing came a burden, a contradiction. She was favored but misunderstood, favored and controversial, favored but talked about. Everywhere she went, people whispered, «There is that young lady. She says she is having a baby without a man. Yeah, right. We have heard that before.»
On one hand, she was excited, could not believe it was happening. On the other, her life was much more complicated. She had to tell her fiancé what happened. I can imagine she said, «Joseph, honey, when you have a moment, we need to talk.» He says, «Fine, let us talk right now.»
She said, «Well, I do not really know how to tell you this, but somebody stopped by the house the other day, and now I am pregnant. It is not what you think. It is all good. I am faithful, but I am going to have a baby.» After she picked Joseph up off the floor, he said, «I will tell you what. We will just call off the wedding. I will not tell anybody. I do not want to embarrass you. Let us just go our separate ways.»
Here is my point. You can be favored and have complicated situations, favored but talked about, favored but frustrated. Do not let the fact that you have difficulties, opposition, things you do not understand make you think that you do not have God’s blessing.
It is just the opposite. The fact that those things are coming against you is a sign that you are favored. You are blessed. That is why you have some burdens. It is a part of the package.
Now, Mary could have stayed focused on the burden and tried to prove to people that she was faithful, tried to protect her reputation, lived stressed out. She did not do that. She accepted the burden as a part of God’s plan. She knew with this big burden comes a big blessing.
Here is the whole key. She was okay with it. She did not get upset. She did not live worried. She stayed in peace, kept doing the right thing, running her race, and God brought the promise to pass.
But Mary’s life would have been a lot easier if the angel had not appeared to her. She would not have had to deal with the opposition, the ridicule, the stress, but she would have never reached the fullness of her destiny.
Sometimes, God will ask us to do things that are difficult. It is much easier to stay in our comfort zone and play it safe. But God loves you too much to let you miss your destiny.
He is saying today, «You are highly favored. I am going to take you further than you can imagine. I am going to open doors that no man can shut.» Now, you can handle the blessing—that is easy. The question is, can you handle the burden?
Will you do like Mary and keep a good attitude, knowing that that difficulty is a part of the package? Will you keep yourself encouraged and not be frustrated by the process?
Can God Trust You?
What is interesting is Mary never asked to have this baby. She never prayed that she would be the one to carry Jesus. She was not looking for fame, for notoriety. She was happy with who she was. She was about to get married, making wedding plans, calling her girlfriends. It was one of the most exciting times of her life.
Right in the middle, she was interrupted. Her plans were put on hold. Now she has to tell friends and family members, «Something has come up. The wedding is off.» It went from being a very celebratory, exciting time to being a very stressful, discouraging time.
But you never read where Mary complained. She never said, «God, why is this happening to me?» At one point, it almost seemed like the burden was bigger than the blessing. She is having a baby, but nobody knows whose child it is. They did not hear the angel. All they know is this young girl is supposed to be a virgin, but now she is pregnant. She is about to have a child.
That said one thing to them: she is not telling the truth. She has not been faithful. It was a heavy burden to carry—having your reputation tarnished, having your wedding called off, having to make excuses to family for your fiancé. It was embarrassing, humiliating.
It would have been different if Mary had prayed, «God, please let me have this baby,» but she did not do that. The reason God chose Mary is because He knew He could trust her. He knew she would carry that burden with a good attitude—without complaining, without having a chip on her shoulder.
As God was searching for who it would be—no doubt He came across other ladies and this one and that one—but when He came to Mary, He said, «There is somebody I can count on to be uncomfortable for a season, to carry out My purpose. There is somebody I can trust to not understand what I am doing, to have her plans interrupted, to have her life not make sense temporarily so I can bring about the Messiah.»
We talk a lot about us trusting God and believing that He is in control. That is important. But my question today is, can God trust you? Can He count on you to be uncomfortable for a season, to go through things you do not understand, to have it take longer than you thought—yet you still have an attitude of faith? You still have a smile on your face. You still come to church. You are still good to other people.
Like Job, your attitude is, «Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.» The burdens you have to carry—the child that is difficult to raise, the trouble at work—when God laid out the plan for mankind, He passed over this one and another and another. When He came to you, He said, like Mary, «I can trust them. I know what they are made of. They are not weak. They are not complainers. They do not try to figure everything out. I can count on them to bring about My purpose.»
When you face difficulties, the burden seems heavy, you did not ask for it—keep the right perspective. It is because God can trust you.
Joel’s Unexpected Call
«Well, Joel, why am I having to raise this child? This is hard. This is not what I had planned in life.» Do you know how many people God passed over before He got to you? He chose you because you can handle it. You are strong. You are tenacious. You are filled with can-do power.
Other people would have given up. Complainers would have gotten bitter. Some would have a chip on their shoulder. But God looked at you and said, «I can count on them.» Put your shoulders back. Hold your head up high.
If it was easy, anybody would do it. If you were ordinary, you would not have an extraordinary challenge. If you were average, you would not be facing Goliath. The reason the burden is so big is because you are big. You are a giant killer. You are a history maker. You are destined to leave your mark on this generation.
For seventeen years, I worked behind the scenes at Lakewood doing the television production. When my father went to be with the Lord in 1999, even though I had never ministered before, I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church.
I did not ask for it, but I could not get away from it. I felt it so strongly. So I started ministering most weekends. It was difficult enough learning how to prepare a message and getting up in front of people.
In one sense, I was comfortable knowing that most everybody at the church was very behind me. They loved my parents, very loyal. When I would get up to speak, they would cheer and cheer.
But we never dreamed the church would grow. People started watching all over on television, and networks put the program on. In a few years, I looked up, and everybody was not cheering anymore. The critics had come out of the woodwork, and opposition—people writing articles saying we were anything but good.
I thought, «God, this is not what I signed up for. I was minding my own business, happy behind the scenes when nobody knew my name. That was a lot easier, less stressful.» Now I had these bigger burdens to deal with.
Over the years, I had learned to trust God and believe that He is in control. I realize now—and I say this humbly, just to make this point—God chose me not just because I trusted Him, but because He could trust me.
So when you face tough times and things you do not understand, the pressure seems strong—remember, that is not random. God chose you because He knows you have what it takes. He knows you are not average. He passed over people with less faith, less strength, less tenacity. He chose you on purpose.
He knew when the going got tough, you would get going. He knew when it was all said and done, you would still be standing strong. He knew you would not let the critics talk you out of it. He knew you would have a Mary spirit that said, «I may not understand it. It may not seem fair. I may be uncomfortable, but bring it on. Let it happen. I am well able, God. I not only trust You, but You can trust me.»
David’s Burden After Anointing
Our attitude should be, «God, You can trust me to stay faithful when I do not feel like it. You can trust me to do the right thing when the wrong thing is happening. You can trust me like Paul and Silas to sing praises in a midnight hour. You can trust me like Esther to not compromise even though my life is on the line. You can trust me like David to face Goliath without fear. You can trust me like Abraham and Sarah to believe even when it seems impossible.»
Now, I know today I am looking at people that not only trust God, but—can I tell you—God can trust you. He hand-picked you, given you grace for every season, strength for every battle.
Sometimes, when the burden seems heavy, you did not ask for it, it does not seem fair—you have to keep reminding yourself the reason it is you and not somebody else is because God can count on you. You have what it takes.
Now, I have learned the bigger the burden, the bigger the blessing. Like Mary, people may be making fun, making light, but do not worry. Your time is coming. The baby is on the way. The promise is headed your way.
When you give birth to that promise, you are going to forget all about the burden. The blessing God has coming your way will far overshadow anything that you have been through.
Looking back in my own life now, sixteen years later—having outlasted the critics, overcome the opposition, seeing God promote, establish, take me where I have never dreamed—I can tell you firsthand it was well worth it.
The blessing, the joy, the fulfillment that comes from simply staying faithful, enduring hardships, passing the test is more rewarding than you can imagine. You will be able to say like Paul, «These light afflictions were for a moment, but they worked in me an eternal weight of glory.»
If Mary were here today, she would tell you it was a heavy burden to carry the Messiah, but it was well worth it. The burdens you are having to endure—one day you will look back and say, «I would not change a thing. I did not like it. I was uncomfortable, but God used it to propel me into my destiny. Yes, it was a heavy burden, but it brought me into a heavy blessing.»
This is what happened with David. He was anointed to be the next king of Israel, chosen by the prophet Samuel to lead God’s people, and he went out and defeated Goliath and overnight became a national hero.
He was highly favored, but with that big blessing came his share of burdens. King Saul was jealous of him, spent months chasing David through the desert trying to kill him.
David could have said, «God, I thought You anointed me to be king. You did not tell me with this blessing came this burden. You did not tell me that even though I was doing the right thing, this man that is supposed to be my friend would make it his life mission to try to keep me off the throne.»
That was all a part of God’s plan. God hand-picked David because He knew He could trust him. Other people would have gotten bitter, discouraged, tried to take revenge. Not David. He was not a complainer. He knew he had grace for every season. He kept doing the right thing, and at the right time, God took care of Saul, and David took the throne.
It is easy to handle the blessing. We love giving birth to the dream. We love taking the throne. But God is looking for people who can not only handle the blessing but who can handle the burden—people who will not give up because they had a bad break.
They came down with an illness. The business did not make it. You would not have that opposition if you were not highly favored. That Saul would not be trying to stop you if you did not have royalty in your blood.
The enemy would not be working overtime if you were not about to take the throne. Do not get discouraged by the burden. Keep doing the right thing. The blessing is coming. The baby is coming. The promise is coming. The health is coming. The victory is on the way.
Here is what I am saying. I know God can trust you with the blessing. Make sure He can trust you with the burden.
Paul said this: «A wide door of opportunity is open to me, and there are many adversaries.» With every wide door, there will be plenty of opposition. Instead of being discouraged by it, you can be encouraged, knowing that that is a sign that new doors are opening, breakthroughs are headed your way. Destiny is in your future.
Our attitude should be, «I am in it to win it. I am not going to get discouraged because it has taken longer than I thought. I am not going to give up because people have come against me. I am not going to live frustrated because I am disappointed, I am lonely, I have had some tough times.»
No, I know I have been armed with strength for this battle. I know the forces that are for me are greater than the forces that are against me. Like Mary, you may be carrying a burden that you did not ask for. Remember, it is because God can trust you.
Keep the right perspective. You are highly favored. Your time is coming. The burden you are having to endure is going to pale in comparison to the blessing God is about to release.
I believe and declare you are going to give birth to promises that are going to take you further than you have imagined. God is going to propel you where you could not go on your own. Like David, you are going to outlast the opposition, take your throne, and become everything God has created you to be. In Jesus' name. If you receive it today, can you say amen?