He is not heavy ∙∙
The LORD your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. – Deuteronomy 1:31
Isaiah 46:3-10
3 Listen to me . . . I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born.
4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime – until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.
5 To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?
9 Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. 10 Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.
A Visionary for Children
Father Edward J. Flanagan, born in Ireland, immigrated to the United States in 1904 and was ordained as a priest. He dedicated his life to transforming how America cared for its most vulnerable children. At a time when juvenile facilities were rife with abuse and neglect, Flanagan envisioned a better way, one that valued children, provided for their basic needs, and protected their dignity. In 1921, he founded Boys Town, a revolutionary community located ten miles west of Omaha, Nebraska. Boys Town became a self-sustaining haven for children, complete with its own boy-mayor, schools, chapel, post office, gym, and other facilities.
Flanagan’s mission was all-embracing and compassionate. Boys Town welcomed all boys, regardless of race, creed, or cultural background. He sought out the neediest and most helpless, even those imprisoned for severe crimes, offering them a chance at a new life. His work was a testament to the belief that every child deserves love, care, and the opportunity to thrive.
He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
One of the most enduring stories from Boys Town involves a boy named Howard Loomis, who was abandoned by his mother and left at the home. Stricken with polio, Howard wore heavy leg braces that made walking and climbing stairs a grueling task. The older boys at Boys Town took turns carrying him up and down the stairs. One day, Father Flanagan saw a boy struggling to carry Howard. He asked if it was too heavy for him. The boy replied, “He ain’t heavy, Father. . .. he’s m’ brother.” Later, these words were changed to, “He ain’t heavy, Mister . . .. He’s m’ brother.”
These iconic words came to symbolize the spirit of brotherhood and selflessness that Boys Town promotes. The motto is still the best description of what boys and girls at Boys Town learn: the importance of caring for each other and having someone care about them. It encapsulates the lesson that caring for one another is not a burden but a privilege. The motto continues to inspire generations, teaching the importance of compassion and mutual support.
At some point in our lives, almost everyone needs to be carried by someone, metaphorically speaking. Most of us have also chosen to carry somebody else. We all stumble and need help from each other when we do.
Who has Carried You?
The Father has carried us since we were born, and He will carry us to the end of our days on Earth.
We are not heavy; we are His beloved children, the children of the King.
Isaiah 46:3-4 beautifully captures this promise: “Listen to me . . . I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime – until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.”
A Promise That Transcends Time
Isaiah 46:4 was the inspiration for a stanza for “How Firm a Foundation” that, sadly, is usually omitted from our hymnals:
E’en down to old age, all My people shall prove,
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And then when grey hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs, they shall still in My bosom be borne.” (Wiersbe).
What a powerful promise! This passage reminds us that God’s care is constant and unchanging. From the moment of our creation until the end of our earthly lives, He carries us. Unlike human relationships, where roles can change as children grow and care for their aging parents, God’s role as our sustainer remains the same. We depend on Him just as much in old age as we did in infancy.
REFLECT & PRAY
James S. Stewart writes, “Ever since Isaiah, men have been aware that one of the vital distinctions between true religion and false is that whereas the latter is a dead burden for the soul to carry, the former is a living power to carry the soul.”
Father, thank You for carrying me all these many years and for Your tremendous promise to carry me until You take me home.
INSIGHT
The Father Who Carries Us
Isaiah 46:3-4 applies to each child of the King in a very personal way. It becomes more critical as we grow older. On one hand, we look forward to our retirement in heaven. On the other hand, we also face the harsh realities of being alone, aging, and losing abilities, which often come with our later years.
The Father is earnestly trying to get our attention. He emphatically says, “Listen to Me . . ..” It’s as if He is saying, “I have been with you all these years, and I will be with you until the end. Yet, despite all this time, you have hardly come to know Me.”
The Father clearly states His promise to all the children of the King to make it crystal clear: He is here for us throughout our lives. He created us and will care for us. He will support and save us, even in our old age. The story of Boys Town and its motto reflects a deeper spiritual truth: just as the boys carried Howard, our Heavenly Father carries us throughout our lives.
Instead of letting Father God carry them, people create idols that they must carry. What good is an idol that people carry if it doesn’t carry anyone? It is just dead weight.
The Futility of Idols
When we compare God the Father to gods created by people, there is no real comparison. It is foolish to even try. Isaiah 46:7:“They carry it around on their shoulders, and when they set it down, it stays there. It can’t even move! And when someone prays to it, there is no answer. It can’t rescue anyone from trouble.”
Oswald observes that idols are “The creation of humans, they are subject to all the limitations of time and space. He is the Creator of humans – and all else – and is limited by nothing.” Ultimately, all analogies fall short. “No analogy, and no combination of analogies, can adequately describe His greatness” (ESV, Notes). There will never be a time when the Father needs to lean upon us. He is the great self-existent, self-dependent “I AM” (Exodus 3:13-14). He is transcendent and beyond all change and limitations, in time and space itself.
We are not heavy; we are His beloved children.
Footprints in the Sand
One night, I dreamed a dream. I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me, and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
“Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
The Eternal Sustainer
God’s role as the eternal sustainer is unmatched. No analogy can fully capture His greatness, for He is beyond comparison. As the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, He carries His children with unwavering love and faithfulness. In every moment of our lives, from birth to old age, He carries us, making sure we are never alone. His promise is everlasting, and His love remains constant.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯9-6-24
© Dr. H 2025
Dr H Reflections 