Put Down Your Basket

"Let me tell you a story," she said, and I leaned in a little closer to listen. 

"One time, my husband saw a woman walking on the side of the road, carrying a large and heavy basket on her head. Since he was going in the same direction as she was, he stopped to offer her a ride, and she accepted. But she had never been in a car before, so even when she got situated inside, she still carried the basket on her head." 

She didn't realize she could put it down. She was so used to carrying it that she didn't even see the chance to give it a rest. She may not have known another way or another option, and yet she seemed ridiculous to carry a basket on her head when she could lay it down. 

It's a modern day parable for us, for many carry heavy, weighed-down, unnecessary baskets on their heads when we have been offered a place to leave them at the foot of the cross.