A Better Weigh

This week was heavy. I could leave this post with just that small, four word sentence and it would be enough. You would all probably understand exactly what I mean. In their own way, every single person has probably had a heavy week. On the “lighter” side of this heavy week, I dropped and shattered a salt shaker on my glass cooktop. That was hilariously fun to clean. (No. No it wasn’t.) I have broken almost every remaining fingernail working on our outside projects. (No . . . I am not just being a girl . . . it HURTS when you break a nail!) And I ruined a perfectly good shirt backing into a grease bucket on my husband’s Traeger. (It’s okay though . . . I needed new paint/work clothes because I don’t have any that aren’t so big they just fall off!) On the “not-so-light-side” of this week, we moved into Passover and Good Friday and then Resurrection Sunday, Easter. And, most heavy of all, one of “my girls” mom’s crossed from this life into the next. She went Home this week. Grief is heavy. For all who love “our girl”, her family, and her precious mom, this is heavy. I was in my kitchen doing dishes literally just a minute ago. I have struggled with a blog topic this week because of all the “heaviness” . . . great and small . . . and I have struggled with finding a way to wrangle all my thoughts into a cohesive piece to write about. I just heard Marty McFly in “Back to the Future” exclaim to Doc, “Whoa, this is heavy!” Of course, Doc takes him literally and asks, “Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the earth’s gravitational pull?” I began thinking about how heavy this life can be. And then I started thinking about Doc’s literal translation of Marty’s question. It always comes back to weight for me, somehow, doesn’t it? But today, it was a little different. I was thinking about life and how nice it would be for it to “weigh less” and how I would also like to weigh less or just be weight less altogether. And of course, my stream of consciousness mind wandered into thinking about a trip to the Moon, or Mars . . .  But then, I brought my focus back, and I started thinking that just like we can’t exactly be weightless on this earth, we are not left “way less” in this life. We have been provided a way. And Easter is all the proof we need.

I listened today to several Easter services both online and on TV. One thing I really missed was the traditional Easter music from our hymnals. There is just something about music that is almost magical. It can comfort us when words fail. It can calm us when our anxieties take over. It can move us when we feel completely stuck or unmotivated. I’ve written before that for me, Christian Gospel or hymns are my favorite genre of music. I just feel His presence in a very real and comforting way listening to it. There is a song that I absolutely love listening to. It always inspires hope in me. It is called “Chain Breaker” by Zach Williams. It is at the top of my “Christian Feel Good” playlist on my iPhone. The chorus talks about a God who is a “pain taker” and a “way maker” and a “chain breaker”. I encourage you to look it up and listen to it if you haven’t heard it.

When we lift weights, or walk, or run, or do anything physical, it can and usually does cause pain in our muscles that leaves them sore. Pain is never fun. But pain is necessary to gain the strength we desire. As humans, we will do just about anything to avoid physical pain and to help those we love avoid it as well. When you are a parent, you begin to understand this protective nature. I can remember countless times pulling my boy’s hands away from something hot, or sharp, or pointy. There are still times when I see them attempting something that I start to say, “Someone’s gonna get . . .” and it’s already too late. You would do anything to prevent your child from experiencing pain. Then there are other times when you know and have to accept you can’t do anything to prevent pain from coming to them; physically or emotionally. You just have to let them walk through it and be there to walk through it with them. Unfortunately, there isn’t a thing we can do in our lives to prevent pain. To love is to know both pleasure and pain. The highest of highs and the lowest of lows are ours simply because we love. And I believe that to be able to fully appreciate either one, you have to know and experience the other. The good news though? We serve a God Who understands our pain and suffering as most will never know. He bore the pain of the cross so He could bring us comfort where and when we need it. I firmly believe that God wants to help us avoid as much pain as possible. But I also believe He knows we are going to have our share of it. Sometimes at our hands, through our choices, and sometimes at the hands of others. But He is standing ready to help us through it if we will allow Him to.

Sometimes, in the depths of our pain, we feel lost. Personally, I don’t even need to be in pain to feel lost at times. There is nothing like dealing with a huge life event to make us question our next step and even question the steps we have already taken. Sometimes, we look up from our pain and our heaviness to see a mass of indecision and a hundred different trail heads. At times, we struggle to see the defined path we know is there just beyond our sight. The Psalmist describes God’s Word as being a light to our path. The lamps carried in Biblical times were nothing like the piercing LED flashlights and lanterns we have today. They gave just enough light so the person walking had enough illumination to see only their next step. Just like that, we don’t have to know every step we are supposed to take. Just the next one in line and then the next and then the next. We can trust Him to give us exactly what is needed to have the courage to step into all He has called us to and know that even as we are moving, the path will be cleared out in front of us. He will order and direct our steps in real time. There are times when we HAVE found our path but the pain and the “lostness” we feel leaves us feeling chained to something we can’t break away from. Whether it is a result of our choices, or life’s events, traumas, tragedies, and heavy decisions, we feel chained.  Easter is the time when we are reminded of the great Love of Jesus. He single handedly dealt a death blow to Satan and evil. The heaviness of this past week is made a little lighter when we remember we are surrounded by people who love us. For me, I remember there are people who love me and are cheering me on to achieve my highest goals . . . in life in general, in my weight loss, in every area of my life. Although it was an Easter Sunday devoid of church and family gatherings, it was meaningful . . . even if I was still cleaning salt from the crevices on my stove. 

#loveyourjourney #youreworthit #bettermewithNewYouCBD #Endo30 #itsuptoyou