Burdens

I recently read a story and I want to share it with you. I am not sure who wrote it; however, it goes along with yesterday's blog, Suitcases.

Put the Glass Down

There is a story about a professor who is presenting a lecture on stress management to his students. He raised a glass of water and asked the class, "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?" The students guessed about six ounces. "It doesn't matter what the absolute weight is.  It depends on how long you hold it," the professor replied.  "If I hold it for a minute, it is OK. If I hold it for an hour, my arm will start to ache. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. It is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it the heavier it becomes."

If you carry your burdens all the time, sooner or later, you will not be able to carry on; the burden will be too heavy. What you have to do is put the glass down and rest for a while before holding it up again.  You have to put the burdens down from time to time, so that you can be refreshed and able to carry on. Whatever burden you are carrying on your shoulders, let it down. Take a rest. If you must, you can pick it up again later when you have rested. Rest and relax.    ~Author unknown

**All too often, in my life, it has appeared easier to continue to carry my burdens  If I lay them down, then I am exposed, I lose control, I am not protected, I am vulnerable, and sometimes I think to myself,  I deserve to carry these burdens.  However, I have learned those "reasons" are really lies!  I am exposed ,but only to the grace, mercy, and forgiveness that Christ offers.  I was never in control in the first place...and quite honestly, I prefer God being in control.  I am more than protected!  I am only vulnerable to God's plan and purpose; there is nothing to fear there. Every single person in the world deserves to carry their burdens, however, the GOOD NEWS is Christ lived, died, and rose again, so that I can have a clean slate and know that I deserve all that He promises (and that goes for you as well!-there are no exceptions).

Lay your burdens down and let the love of Christ replace the heaviness within your heart!

There is ALWAYS hope!

31 Days of Hope Day 21

"After Hurricane Katrina came, the city of New Orleans did some serious reflection. Teams of people gathered and asked, "How can we make sure this never happens again?"  It's wise for us to do the same after a storm comes into our lives. We can ask ourselves, "What weaknesses did this storm reveal? Where is my foundation strong and where do I need to make repairs?" 

In the fallen world we live in, it is easier to focus on the negatives of a "storm", instead of facing it head on and seeing growth and renewal in it.  Sometimes I have to catch myself viewing a storm as if I am looking at the glass as half empty instead of half full.  It's the same amount, with the same ingredients, however, it's really in how I choose to see it, as well as, how my heart attitude is about the situation.

The way to see any situation as a glass half full, is to ask yourself the same questions as stated above:

1. How can you make sure this situation never happens again? Are you willing to do what needs to be done to ensure it doesn't?

2. What weakness did this storm reveal? (did you ignore red flags? did you act in your flesh? did you allow pride to get in the way?  do you have a bigger issue/problem that needs to be addressed?)

3. Is your foundation strong and if there are any weak spots or cracks, where do you need to make repairs?  And more importantly, what will you do to strengthen and repair weak spots and cracks? 

Once you have asked yourself these questions it is important that you take time to honestly and prayerfully answer them.  If we focus on what we can learn from our storms instead of allowing the storm itself to hurt us, we will always have HOPE!  

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us    
Hebrews 6:17-20