Do you ever feel weighted down? Like there’s a heaviness that can’t be lifted, or a fog that clouds your eyes? Maybe it’s the constant feeling that nothing is right, and it will never change. Despair and fear and anxiety are plaguing our society. No one is immune to the damaging affects of depression and suicide. Conflict in the world and in our families and in our daily lives is the norm. And it can all feel too much.
We hope in New Years and fresh starts and changes in our environment. We hope in a new book or friend or job. But our lingering dissatisfaction follows us like a bad habit we just can’t shake. We can’t even identify it.
We are not alone.
My sister in law, a life-long dancer, told me last week that famous ballerinas practice their leaps with ankle weights. They train and turn and jump with the nagging encumbrance of a pound or two of dead weight.
When the weight is removed, only then can they fly!
My friends, we are dancers with weights on.
As followers of Jesus, we have been freed from sin, but the affects of sin will continue to cling and grab and fight for dominion in our lives as long as we’re here on earth. It’s swirling around us and still clinging inside of us. Though we gain victory in Christ, none of us are ever truly free on this side of eternity from the damning affects of the fall.
But one day – we will fly!
Oh imagine that day when our hope is given sight and our dreams are given wings and we soar into eternity with our Father cheering us on! When we can be truly free to become all He imagined for us as His beautiful creation!
Like Jesus, who set His focus on the joy set before Him, we must endure our crosses, knowing that this world is temporary- with the ugly and dark and gloomy- but forever is real and not as far away as the Liar wants us to believe.
God is FOR you. God loves you with a crazy, unshakeable love. He wants you to know His joy that is found in Him. Seek Him. Seek His face. Hear His voice. And as your chin lifts, the sighing becomes a little softer, the breathing gets a bit easier, and the tears are less bitter.
He loves you. I hope you can know that all the way through to the inside of your heart.
I’m praying for all of you this year. It’s going to be an amazing journey. And one day, we will get to fly. đź’ś
Becky
“…keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.” Hebrews‬ â€12:2-3‬ â€NLT‬‬
This picture is of my God-talented niece at our church’s Christmas Eve Service. #proudaunt
The weights of sin’s vicious entanglements are gone, but the residual effects of those weights seem to hang on to me as I endure this jobless, homeless, deserted existence. GOD has His reasons for these residual weight hindrances that will ultimately result in some kind of Glory for Himself that directly will eternally diminish our Adversary’s sought after self-glory since Genesis. What an opportunity!!
And it’s so hard in the process. So heavy some days. But He is faithful.