By Bethany Lashbrook
This Week’s Verse: Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (NIV)
Devotion: Clint and I have been blessed with friends since we have moved back to Marshall. We have been a part of a Sunday school class now for 3 years. We have been in several small groups and have met with our church family on lots of occasions outside of church. We have come to treasure these friendships we have built with others through the years.
In Jewish tradition, a couple gets married under a chuppah. A chuppah symbolizes the home that the couple will build together. Clint and I have this saying when we know we want to keep something between us. We say “let’s keep this under the chuppah”. That way, we know not even our closest friends should know about it. We want it to be sacred - just between God and us.
But, one thing as a woman I have learned is to “hide” our imperfections from our friends. Now, I know I don’t need to “air our laundry” so to say, but it wouldn’t hurt for me to be more honest either. I tend to think that having it all together is very Christian. When in fact, NOT having it all together is more honorable.
Who am I trying to impress by trying to keep it all together? Big deal that I can work outside the home, make supper in the evenings, and keep a drill sergeants schedule! Most of the women reading this do it too! Keeping a clean home isn’t earning me brownie points with God nor is it helping my anxiety levels either!
I forget sometimes that the Lord has told us to carry each other’s burdens. I forget that the reason we become a church family is to hold each other up.
This week, I am asking you all to carry a burden for me. It’s simple yet weighs me down, especially in the winter. Yet, I cannot ask you to carry a burden for me unless you let me carry one for you. Luke records that Jesus says, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them (11:46, NIV). Well, I want to lift a finger for you. So here it goes:
In the winter, most evenings I want to curl up in a ball and sleep all night. Not having sunlight really affects my behavior. I have no ambition whatsoever to do ANYTHING! It’s incredible how different I am from the summer months to the winter months. It affects my friendships and my family life. This year, thankfully, it started early and seems to be ending early too! I dread winters because it happens every year. I have no control - only faith that God will get me through.
So there you have it. Would you like to take a load off your shoulders too?
Dear Lord, thank you so much for our church families. Thank you for the many parts of the church that make it whole! Help us to love the church as you do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Applications: Would you like me (us) to carry a burden for you? You can ask us through commenting on this blog either anonymously or using your name. Either way, know that I (we) will be praying for you!
Power Verses:
Proverbs 12:9, “Better to be ordinary and work for a living than act important and starve in the process.” (MSG)
Psalm 68:19, “Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.” (NLT)
1 John 4:11, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. “(NKJV)
