Who's shouldering your troubles?

Saturday, Daily Bible Blast will post the 3,000th devotion.

Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders—

    he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out. (Psalm 55:22a MSG)

Troubles, we all have them. Some of us seem to have more than others, but it is often just a cycle. When we are young, we need to learn that we can't control everything. Not everyone nor every situation can be cleared up easily. Our efforts at control, of circumstances and/or individuals, generally ends up in failure.

As part of the recovery world for several of year, learning that I can't control anyone but myself was the beginning of my life-change. For years I tried to control people around me; attempted to anticipate situations and take appropriate actions. That behavior labeled me as sick as the people I was trying to change.

Embracing this new concept by turning my worries, pain and fear over to the only one who was really in control, provided a peace I never before experienced. The weight of these issues was lifted from my shoulders and I could breathe. Control is a master at giving us a false sense of security. Control is a negative reaction and not a healthy response.

Now, I love the fact that any thing that worries me, or even breaks my heart, no longer has control over me. I can turn over everything to God. I can "Pile all my troubles on God's shoulders - and He'll carry the load, He'll help me out."  Now that's the way to live.

Psalm 55:22-23

Change it up

          
Isaiah 55:6-7 (NIV)

Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

During my devotion time this morning I was rehashing some of my thoughts and feeling from yesterday. As I was walking A.J. I thought about how repetitive my life had become. I commiserated over the fact that I get myself into ruts and don't even try to get out; I just plug along until I realize I am not very happy with my life.

I wrote about my feelings and acknowledged that feelings aren't facts...but they are real and need to be dealt with.  So I inquired of Jesus, "Is there a Word from You today that will speak to this?" And of course there was. I was prompted to turn to my Bible and read about God's grace.

1. How sufficient it is.
2. How free it is
3. How undeserved it is
4. How I need to revel in these facts and not dwell on the feelings

I knew something had to change. So, I thought why not change up my routine. Make all things (fresh) new. Start each day in His Presence and recognize His Presence all day long. I needed to get 'unstuck' and move forward.

Much of the good that has come about in my life is due to the fact that God knew what was best for me and those around me. His heart was soft and his love so completely perfect, that I know if I had my own way during certain seasons, it would have been devastating. My life today would look different and I would be different.

Each time I prayed for 'a cup to pass me by', God said, "uh, uh, you need to experience this, you can learn and grow from it." These things still happen to me today too. But it is also good to recognize that God can grow us through the good times.

When I am stuck in the midst of a drama filled season I can trust God knows what is going to take place when I turn the page. I have confidence that He has already written the next chapter of my life and that it is important I walk through whatever valley I find myself.
        

Temptation: Handling it God's Way

Our passage today is 2 Timothy 2:1, 19, 22

When our children were younger, we attended a church where at every baptism, the pastor included  these words in his baptismal prayer:  "Lord, protect him/her from the perils of childhood and the temptations of youth." (I googled the phrase to see if I could credit someone 'famous' with it, but came up empty.)

That phrase has stayed with me as my own children experienced both the perils of childhood and the temptations of youth.  Perhaps my pastor was thinking of these verses in 2 Timothy when he prayed over babies as they were baptized.  It is near impossible to get through childhood without 'perils,' and 'temptations of youth' - they abound!  So how does Paul tell his young disciple, Timothy, he should navigate these treacherous waters?

1.  Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (v. 1).
2.  Cling to God's solid foundation and reject wickedness (v. 19).
3.  Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace (v. 22).
4.  Call on the Lord out of a pure heart (v. 22).

Yes, the perils, they will come.  And the temptations - they are all around us, even after we are fully grown and should know better.  But God doesn't give up on us.  He urges us to cling to Him.  He is our solid foundation.  Paul offers specific ways that we can cling:  pursuing righteousness, faith, love and peace.

How can I do that this week?  Temptations will be waiting for me.  You know what they are.  Temptations to gossip, to laugh at another's failures, to look the other way when someone is cheating, to be silent when God is mocked, to envy another's success - and these are ones I can personally attest to!

Lord, help me to cling to you - to open my Bible and soak in your word, and then to live it out.  Protect me from the temptations that will surround me - help me to call on your name.  Amen.