One of my favorite episodes of New Girl was last year's Christmas episode. Jess is sad, she's upset, and as they're driving home from an office Christmas party, her friends decide to stop at her favorite spot - candy cane lane, a street completely lit with Christmas lights.
But they get there and the street is dark.
Jess is discouraged and says, 'come on, let's go.'
But her friends don't take that and they start yelling TURN ON THE LIGHTS and Jess sees and she joins in and in the middle of the night, one at a time, the houses hear and the lights turn on and the street becomes completely lit.
Lately I've been learning about carrying burdens. Engaging in burdens. It's one of the biggest things corner does. You've heard me talk about corner, right? It's those people who stand with you, sit with you, ask about your mind and ask how your heart is, who make your battle their battle, and who pray and believe in a big, big God for you. Even when you can't.
I've got a great corner, one straight from our great Giver. One of my most treasured parts of corner lives in Boston. I can't thank God enough. and what I've watched unfold in the past months is the way our corners have intersected, to make one giant corner. We're all in this together, women joined together out of our common love for each other and a common love for our Savior.
It's a unique beauty like I've never known.
We can let people carry our burdens for us. Sometimes God works with us alone in our caves, but we can let people sit with us, carry it for and with us, cry with us. Letting someone just sit with you - not providing answers, or offering advice, but simply their presence. Saying, "oh remember. do you remember? Remember what the Lord has done. I'm praying for you, believe Him. I've been there. me too, me too. I know. me too. Do you know what God thinks about when He thinks about you?"
Sometimes there are things that it seems like we can't do. Whether it's fear that holds us back or maybe because we're broken human beings trying to handle a lot of brokenness. Thank God (literally) that He wastes nothing and He has gone before us. And the fear we face and the uncertainty and the rejection - well, maybe it's all God saying BELIEVE ME. There is more to your belief. Are you going to keep believing me?
It's all a big story, a bigger story, God's story. His timing, will, purpose.
But back to that New Girl reference.
back to what I've learned about burden and corner.
and back to what I've learned about God.
Corner teamed up lately and we helped carry burden for our friend. We were relief and did something she couldn't possibly imagine doing. It's one of the most powerful and beautiful things I've been a part of. It's turning the lights on, helping yell when we can't see gift, literally taking burden from the shoulders of someone and making the load lighter. hey, we'll do it for you. What an honor, a privilege, and a blessing.
And that leaves God at doing the exact same thing for us. He delights to sit with us, delights to carry our burdens, to fight for us. He came down and entered into our mess and died on a cross, don't you think He wants to sit with us? He hears all our cries and takes note of all our tears and fears. He doesn't see us as dramatic or immature or hopeful that we'll hurry up and get our lives back together soon. He says COME AS YOU ARE. you can come as you are and you can cry out to Me. I love you.
Pslam 55 says to cast your burdens on the Lord and He will sustain you.
No comments:
Post a Comment