Carrying My Burdens

“Blessed be God—he heard me praying. He proved he’s on my side; I’ve thrown my lot in with him. Now I’m jumping for joy, and shouting and singing my thanks to him.” (Psalm 28:7 MSG)

I prayed that I may know Christ

For strength and discernment

To be shielded from evil

God heard my prayers

He came alongside me

And offered to carry my baggage

I’ve put all my eggs in His basket

I’ve unloaded all my burdens

I feel light and free

I skip along by His side

Brimming with gratitude

Partially Consecrated

“Make them holy--consecrated--with the truth.” (John 17:17 MSG)

In John, chapter 17, Jesus prays for His followers. He asks that we may not be defined by the world’s standards but by our dedication and devotion to God, that we may be protected from evil, and that we may be truth-consecrated in our mission.

Consecration literally means ‘associated with the sacred.’  How many of us are fully consecrated to Sacred Truth? Unfortunately, I have a hard time committing myself fully to any one thing. How can I, when there are so many interesting and important things in this world to occupy my day? I am partially dedicated to a lot of different things. My ideas about what is important are colored by the culture I live in. I align myself to warped versions of the truth, because the full truth might topple the framework of my long-held beliefs.

Yet, this is what Jesus wants--that we may disassociate from worldly standards and half-truths (which are basically half-lies) in order to associate with Sacred Truth. We may verbally dedicate ourselves, our children, our buildings, and our work to God. However, consecration is beyond human power. As followers of Christ, we can detach from conventional paradigms and redirect our time and energy toward that which is sacred. Only the Holy Spirit can elevate these meager offerings and sanctify us. May we be set apart, just as Christ set himself apart.

Lord, please help us to let go of worldly ideas so that we may be fully consecrated by Your Spirit and dedicated to a higher purpose!

Clinging to Control

“If you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33 MSG)

Imagine you are on a luxury cruise line. Everything is taken care of--all you have to do is enjoy yourself. Then, suddenly you are shipwrecked. Yesterday you were having a wonderful time, and now you are desperately clinging to a floating piece of debris while bobbing up and down in the middle of the ocean. Would you let go? Or would you hang on as long as you could?

When faced with powerlessness, we tend to cling to whatever little control we have. We attempt to manage the people and circumstances around us. Letting go seems like bad idea. How will we survive?

Yet, Jesus asks us to detach from everything and everyone--to quit trying to manipulate the situation to fit our own expectations. He asks us to disentangle ourselves from all that we hold dear--to trust in Him--to release ourselves into the depths of His intimate love.

Power Failure

“He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts.” (Isaiah 40:29 MSG)

When you feel tired, weary, and powerless, what do you do? Do you drink extra coffee or have an energy drink? Maybe you do something mind-numbing, or distracting, or take a nap or go on a vacation. What if one of your loved ones is struggling and exhausted? Do you try to take on their burden? Do you try to use whatever power you have to manipulate the situation? Does it alleviate the problem?

We humans like to think that we have enough wisdom and resources to solve our own problems and those of our loved ones. We cannot admit that, beneath all our posturing, we are truly powerless. We cannot energize ourselves no matter how much caffeine we consume. We cannot strengthen others either.

“To be poor is to be without success, without fame, and without power.  But there God chooses to show us God's love.” (Henri Nouwen)

Just as we are most aware of every light after a period of enforced darkness, God’s power is most obvious when we are weak and powerless. God is the only true source of strength, energy, and wisdom. And, occasionally, He may use us as conduits.

Resistance to Grace

“Just as grace is the ultimate source of the force that pushes us to ascend the ladder of human evolution, so it is entropy that causes us to resist that force, to stay at the comfortable, easy rung where we now are or even to descend to less and less demanding forms of existence. (M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled)

My family and I went to visit the Rocky Mountains recently. A few of us experienced symptoms of altitude sickness for the first few days--headaches, dizziness, difficulty breathing, weakness, etc. It took us a few days of acclimatization before we were able to function normally in the higher elevations.

Growing up is a form of personal evolution. It requires us to climb to higher levels of awareness. There is a natural reluctance to leave the familiar zones in which we think we are competent and delve into areas where we feel amateurish and inadequate. Devolving, however, is much easier. Sliding downhill to lower forms of existence demands very little effort.

Grace is the force that helps us up the hill of spiritual growth. However, we are often resistant to grace, because it pushes us into uncomfortable elevations. The ascension in altitude makes us feel weak and dizzy. However, if we accept grace, we eventually acclimatize ourselves to these higher levels of awareness.

Dissing Grace

Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” (Luke 22:34 NIV)

Wearing a wedding ring is a symbol of commitment to your spouse. Commitment involves faithfulness and trust. When we express a lack of confidence in our spouse, we are, in essence, belittling them.

The other day, I saw a segment on TV about anxiety. A woman was talking to the host about how she worries all the time about everything. I noticed that the woman was wearing a necklace with a cross pendant. All of a sudden I felt convicted. I too profess to be committed to Christ. When I worry, I show a lack of confidence in God.

Worry is a denial of God’s power and love. Instead of acknowledging all that He is and all that He has done, we essentially renounce God when we mistrust Him.  Worry dishonors God. It is disrespectful. It is a dis-Grace--a rejection of God’s benevolence.  

Trading in Your Self

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24 NIV)

Is there a person, cause, or passion for which you would be willing to trade in your selfhood?

Falling in love is the closest an individual comes to surrendering his identity. Yet,  a person often retains a portion of his dreams and tries to influence his beloved to adapt this vision. Some of us believe in a cause and are willing to give up everything we have for our convictions.  We become activists, ministers, soldiers, and political revolutionaries who voluntarily relinquish our selfhood to be part of something we consider important.

The concept of self-surrender is a popular topic for sermons and songs. We have vague ideas of what is expected--surrender our time and money to the church, give up bad habits, follow rules, etc. It would have been convenient for religious organizations if this were what Christ required of us for discipleship. However, it is not.

Self-abnegation--the denial of one’s own interests in the favor of God’s interests--is what is called for. Christ showed us by example how to lay down everything--reputation, comfort, pride, family, friends, life--for God’s higher purpose. May we all develop the grace to deny ourselves, pick up the cross, and follow Christ.