“I love me some pockets!”  Devotional #7

            On Christmas Eve my husband reminded me that we had not yet visited a local park we go to every year for the past four or so years that puts up Christmas lights throughout the park.  It’s great to go and take a pause from all of the rush of the season.  As I shared with you in a previous devotion this year I was really all for downsizing on the “busy-ness” of Christmas so I gladly agreed that we should all go and enjoy the lights.  As I was getting ready I looked over at my purse and was feeling rather lazy about having to carry it through the park.  I decided that I rather not carry my purse so I decided to wear a pair of jeans that has some pretty deep pockets.  I love me some pockets!  I love to stuff as much as I can in them so that I don’t have to carry my purse.  I don’t like to overdue it, I just carry with me what I think I’ll be needing, like my ID, money…things like that.  As I was stuffing my pockets a thought came to me.  This is how I used to stuff my emotions, my problems, my complaints and or anxieties of life down into my soul so that I wouldn’t have to “burden” the Lord with them.    

            I was holding on to my burdens unnecessarily!  I also didn’t share my burdens with my loved ones because I didn’t want to burden them either!  I have always been an easy going “happy go lucky” type of person and I never liked to express anything other than happiness so that my loved ones wouldn’t worry about me. So I carried this into my relationship with the Lord.  I didn’t feel like “worrying” Him either.

            In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus himself said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (NIV) In Psalms 68:19 it says, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” (NIV)

            My problem was not my problems.  It was how I dealt with my problems.  I believed that if I stuffed them I wouldn’t burden the Lord but it wasn’t really that I didn’t want to burden Him it was that I didn’t want to deal with them.  I believed I could hide them and so what I did was wear a “mask.”  Everyone around me believed I was fine because that’s what I led on but the truth was that I wasn’t.  I wasn’t fine because I wasn’t dealing with my problems head on!  I wasn’t giving them to the Lord and asking for his help in how to deal with them. 

            In Luke 8:17 Jesus said, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” (NIV)  I was in a Bible Study a few years ago entitled “Breaking Free,” by Beth Moore (I love her studies!).  I don’t believe I have ever enjoyed and suffered through a Bible Study at the same time ever again!  I dived into that study and it was through that study the Lord convicted me of hiding my burdens from Him.  As if I could really hide anything from Him! 

            In Psalms 139:23 David wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”  In Psalm 139:1 David started out this Psalm with, “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.” (NIV)  Oh how well put David!  The Lord knows all things!  What was I thinking!  I’m so glad God used that study to convict me!  He knew and still knows everything and anything about me as He does for you too!  There is absolutely nothing on God’s green earth that can be hidden from Him.

            So, my dear friend, the Lord knows my heart, I can earnestly say that I do not stuff my emotions, problems, complaints and or anxieties of life down into my soul anymore.  I bring them to Him.  I lay them (figuratively) down at His feet and leave them there.  I trust in His Knowledge to deal with them and lead me.  It is through His guidance and His strength that I can work through all things.  Philippians 4:13, one of my life verses says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (NIV) 

So as I stuffed my pockets with just a few things I looked up to heaven and thanked God for His goodness and his wonderful patience with me.  My dear friend, thank you for reading this devotion and may the Lord bless you.