The past few weeks I have just struggled. I almost feel like assuming the position you would pose for an earthquake, down on all fours with my hands over my head just bracing for impact!
It seems like when things go not so well, its not just one thing its everything. Sure, my plate overflows and I have so many "irons in the fire". The only problem is that every iron is poking my backside! Have you been there?
As a Sunday school teacher and Bible study leader I tend to take things so personally. When attendance is down I automatically start thinking, "What have I done? What can I do differently? Have I.......???" A blue million questions, questioning myself..doubting. Thank God He used Pastor Mark this Sunday, to speak to me, to remind me that our responsibility as Christians is to pass the Gospel down, which is a release from me. My husband tells me all the time, "Why do you take this so personally? Why do you let it get to you? You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink." I guess we women do have the tendency to become emotionally attached and its harder to break through.
This is just one of the many struggles I have dealt with lately. Every piece of tension, stress, heartache, doubt etc, all accumulates and we wear it around us like a chain. The weight of all the junk gets to be pretty heavy. The realization I came to after the sermon was - our duty is to live in the light of the Holy Spirit and walk by what he tells us to do. It is not our duty to hold on to all of these 'unfriendly things.' and pass them on to others. By merely passing them on by way of prayer we are handing them over to God. If we approach each situation as it comes they don't have time to pile up and weigh us down. Sure, I pray as my problems and stressors arise but, there is only one problem; I speak the words out to God but I don't fully hand it over to Him. An illustration of what I mean is imagine taking our prayers written on a paper and laying them on the altar at church, then picking them back up before you return to your seat.. uh, yea, I am so guilty of this!
Gods grace is an overflowing fountain, filling up our every need. We have to allow room for His grace. If we have so much 'clutter' we are filled we can't sense His measure of grace pressed firmly in our lives.. we have to receive it.
The fullest measure.. an indescribable vast amount is ready and available!
As Christians, we cant assume things are going to always be a path of peace and tranquility. It surely wasn't for Jesus, but I'm still learning, and although I fall short, He loves me anyway. As darkness comes into our lives, we just have to look to The Light.
~ submitted by Jeni Morelock
