Clay in the Hands

I really need to get back into the gym. I am not in the physical shape I would like to be. Exercise has been on my To Do list for a while, but my back has been giving me trouble for about a month. Every time I think about hitting the weights, I give it a second thought and I don’t. The back is finally coming around and so it will be back to the gym in the next day or two.

But today, I am thinking about a different kind of weight. Over a year ago I created a sticky note reminder to myself, that simply asks, “What is the heaviest weight you are carrying right now?” It is a reminder for me to look to God for strength and not try to carry weight I was never designed nor called to carry. But taking on too much comes naturally for me, it is my personality. I have a tendency to take on too much and carry more than I should.

Maybe that is you today. Perhaps you feel no one could possibly understand even a fraction of what is on your plate and the load you carry. But my reading in Romans chapter 8 this morning reminded me, as I hope it will remind you, that you are not alone – the Father is with you and He knows what you carry. Even now, He is working things out for the good of those who love Him. Through Christ in us, we are more than conquerors because He is with us. Nothing we face or carry or encounter or even bring on ourselves can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Jesus never promised that when we follow Him we would never encounter difficulty or struggle. But He did promise that we would have a travel companion as we walk this path – He is with you today. Have hope and take strength in that fact.

Now – where did I put that gym membership card?