Skip to main content

Day 9 Matthew 11:28-30

I am so tired.  I don't know about you, but my body has carried me through some long days and my heart has held some burdens tight for too long.

Sealed in the corner of my soul, fingers are closely locked together around worries and anger that have lingered long enough for them to feel comfortable in my grasp.  They live there in the dark, gaining weight as they sit lazily there with nowhere to go.  My grip is strong. 

As I become more exhausted, the ache that sticks around in the bottom of my neck makes itself remembered as my soul lets those weights creep in there.  I need to breathe.

I unfold my fists, one finger at a time, and inhale that familiar forced calm, exhaling my frustrations... yet they remain. 

Peace is hard to find when you hold onto too much in your heart.  Burdens suffocate your soul and leave you exhausted and ready to stay in bed all day.

Sometimes I literally open my hands when I'm at this point.  I sit still.  I breathe.  And I keep my palms face up.  And when I'm too tired to lift those burdens, I ask God to take them straight from my shoulders. 

My God is gracious and kind and loving.  Even on days when I'm not too sure.  He carries my anxiety and my sadness and my heartache and frustration and he gives me his burden in its place.  But it feels different. It's light.  It's easy to carry.  It brings warmth to my shoulders that relieve my soul. 

I trust my Father, if I'm honest, because He has proved that he is trustworthy.  He will never fail me and he will always provide.  His yoke is easy.  He comforts me when I am weary, and he calls me forward one step at a time. 

Open your hands.  Find rest in this moment, right now.  Be present.  Feel God's arms around you and find peace in the embrace.  Even in the chaos, I promise, his peace prevails.





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Satisfied.

I’ve had many discussions in the past month about “satisfaction.” And of course, when it keeps coming up, God must be trying to tell me something, right? What does it mean to be satisfied? Satisfied (adj.) contented; pleased Satisfy (verb) to meet the expectations, needs, or desires of (someone); to fulfill (a desire or need) I feel like this word is so fitting for this time of year.  The media consumes our minds with the temptation to buy, buy, buy! You see the holiday sales everywhere, and you want to get everyone the perfect gift.  And of course, we all have our own wish lists full of goodies that we would love to love for a few days past the 25 th until they become just another “thing” in the closet, in the drawer, on the shelf, etc. Clearly we are not truly satisfied by things.  We know this in our minds, just not always in our souls. But what about being satisfied in Christ?  The Samaritan woman learned quickly that even just a sip of Li...

Day 25 What Are You Carrying?

Yesterday I drove up to New Hampshire to visit Ian (my boyfriend). I got there later in the afternoon and I had spent the morning working on things at home.  About an hour after I got to NH, we went to the Fall Festival at his church across the border in Vermont. By the time we got there, it was dark already, I was pretty tired and hungry, and this event was HUGE.  Much bigger than I expected. It was really cool-- food trucks, pony rides, laser tag, trunk-or-treating, Incredibles 2 playing on the side of the church, the works. But. Of course. My anxiety decided to form a lens over my eyes.  The crowds of people around me grew louder and I felt trapped amongst the hundreds of bodies.  My heart started to beat faster with every person who walked by. I have anxiety, I've mentioned this before, and many times large crowds will bring it on. I'm sure many of you know the feeling. And it can be the worst. Here I was, looking forward to having a fun time and enjo...

Day 27 You are a Leader

Today Pastor Chris (at Riverbank Church in White River Junction, VT) talked about one of my favorite topics-- Christian leadership.  What do you think of when we hear the word "leader?" Maybe you think, "sure, I'm a leader." That's great! But maybe you think, "uh, no way, I don't have the abilities or the gifts to be a leader." And if that's you, I understand where you are coming from. But friend, I'm lovingly telling you, you're dead wrong. As Christians, we are all leaders.  Really, I think we're just defining leadership wrong. Leadership, from a biblical standpoint, is serving others (Matthew 20:28), influence (Galatians 5:16-25), responsibility (Galatians 6:4-5), character (2 Peter 1:3), and skill (Luke 1610-12). We all have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, and he is the most powerful influence. So if we have him living inside of us, and working through us, how can we not be leaders? See, God does not call the qualif...