So I know everyone sees this picture of weights and let me just say that this is not a post about fitness (but I'm sure you already knew that). But the weights in the picture represent the burdens and loads that we all have in our lives. Have you ever had a situation so heavy, so stressful, and so overwhelming that you just thought to yourself "I CAN'T DO THIS!" ?
Well I know I have!
Life can bring a lot of trials and sometimes they come simultaneously. That's when you feel the most pressure. A good example of this was my weekend. Saturday, I worked my first 16-hour shift at my job which wasn't horrible, but it wasn't an easy day like usual either. Then, after getting off work 30 minutes past my intended clock out time, I had to wake up the next morning and drive an hour and a half to compete in a local pageant competition. When I got to the competition site, I was extremely unprepared! I had realized that I was missing a lot of stuff that I usually would have ready before competition day. I started to feel the pressure. I was overwhelmed and for a moment, I did not think I could perform well. That's when I prayed and asked God to give me his strength to make it through. And would you believe it, despite my unpreparedness and pressure I felt, I still placed in the top three spots of the pageant! I was amazed! I knew that it's not my strength that helped me pushed through, but God's strength!
We fail when we try to do things out of our own strength. Not realizing that if we do it out of the strength that we have, it won't get accomplished. If you struggling to overcome an addiction, or are having a hard time getting through a tough situation, do yourself a favor and STOP trying to do it on your own. We are not meant to carry the weight alone! God is here to help us get through anything that life brings.
Here's what you have to remember:
God will never put more on you than you can bare! He knows what you can and cannot handle. Trust him to know that whatever you are going through, you'll get through it because you trust in him.
Isaiah 40:31 says "But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and grow wearing. They will walk and not faint." [NLT] When you put your trust in him, imagine God being the spotter for the weight you were lifting that was too heavy. You have new strength to get through the moment you give it to God and trust him.
There's no shame in admitting the weight is too much to carry! Listen, transparency is the best trait a person can have. God loves transparency. It's okay to ask others to pray for you if you feel like you are failing (as long as your motive is in a good place, but I'll save that wisdom for another post). Isaiah 40:30 states that "Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion." God is not mad at you for being tired from carry the weight of the world. He expects it! Reach out to him and others that can help you.
My final scripture to leave you with is Ephesians 6:10 [NLT] which tells us "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power". If you feel weak and defeated in something, then that means you are not being strong in the Lord: you're being strong in YOURSELF. You're gonna fail yourself every time because it isn't meant for you to be strong on your own. God is here to be strength for you...so let him!
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