Hope in Heaviness - 30 Days of Thankfulness

I’m feeling a little heavy today, and it’s not just because I want to lose a few pounds before the holidays begin. This morning, I woke up to a jumble of mini-crises after a nearly sleepless night.

Have you ever found yourself feeling more tired in the morning than you were when you retired the night before? I surely have.

My mind was racing in the wee hours of the night. Yes, I shared each concern with my Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace. Still, sleep eluded me for most of the night. Morning arrived all too fast for my own comfort.

My spirit seems somewhat sunken today. A thousand tiny hassles and hurts can tip the scales in time and drag us down. Maybe you know the feeling.

Daily, we mortals may choose to pour life or death into one another. We build each other up, and we break each other down. Often, we do a bit of both.

Toss in a few daily stresses and a nagging and progressively oppressive medical condition or two, and restfulness may try to make a break for it.

But I know the truth.

I’m thankful for hope in heaviness.

Even in down-times, the Lord does not leave His own. In fact, often it seems those are the moments when the voice of our Heavenly Father may be heard most clearly.

I am certain God’s plan is still intact – in my life, in my family, and worldwide. For He remains wakeful and watchful, even when His children do doze off for a while.

The King of Kings holds the winning hand, no matter how the game seems to be going today.

“But blessed is the man who trusts me, God,
    the woman who sticks with God.
They’re like trees replanted in Eden,
    putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
    never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
    bearing fresh fruit every season.”

(Jeremiah 17:7, MSG)

Sometimes we simply have to change the channel, directing our thoughts from our present fits to our future hope.

What’s playing in the background today?

Are you hearing harmonies or harm? A friend shared this song with me, and it helped to heal my heart a little. Maybe it will bless you as well.

God really wants to draw His children near to His own heart, whatever it takes. For only there can we find hope in heaviness. And only then can we look up and discover our burdens have been lifted.

For what are you thankful?

Image/s:

Father and Child

By Andrei Osipovich Karelin

Late 19th Century

4 Kings by Enoch Lau

Creative Commons Licensing

Thankful at Thanksgiving

Adapted from public domain artwork

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