Tag: self-condemnation

God’s Big Shoulders Can Bear the Weight of Your Burden

God's big shoulders - no anxietySometimes we think that we can plan and control every facet of our lives and then realize that it’s too much for us to handle. Are you anxious and feeling the heaviness of the challenge you’re facing? You might be in a financial crisis, or feeling like a relationship has lost its zing, or maybe you’re dealing with the loss of a loved one.

No matter the circumstance, it can begin to feel like it is overwhelming. Is it because you have yet to place that burden on God’s big shoulders?

God’s Big Shoulders

Throughout the Bible, God implores us to believe that He loves us so much that He wants to handle every difficulty that we face. No matter how small or how large the issue is, He is always present to deal with it. But sometimes we forget.

We forget that He’s there– walking through life with us to give us guidance.

Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. ~ Isaiah 30:21 NLT

We forget that He loves us with a no-matter-what kind of love.

[Jesus said], “You love them as much as you love me.” ~ John 17:23 NLT

We forget that He does not condemn us.

For I will be merciful to their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins. ~ Hebrews 8:12 HCSB

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ~ Romans 8:1 NLT

We forget that He never runs out of good gifts to give us after we’ve seen how He has already abundantly supplied for others.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. ~ Ephesians 3:20

Our forgetfulness can get us in over our heads, causing us to feel overloaded with despair!

The Simple Solution

The solution is simple yet not always easy to implement:

God's big shoulders - rest

Remember He wants you to rely on Him, to rest in Him, and not rely only on your self-efforts to change your circumstances.

For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works. ~ Hebrews 4:10 NASB

Remember He is right there with you, loving you , not condemning you. And then, make a decision to throw your problems onto God’s big shoulders.

Throw your burden upon the LORD, and he will sustain you. He will never allow the godly to be upended. ~ Psalm 55:22 NET

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ~ 1 Peter 5:7 NIV

Be sure not to let your struggle be the thing you talk about the most. What you frequently think about and talk about will the thing that expands and manifests in your life.

For as he thinks within himself, so he is. Proverbs 23:7 NASB

Be sure not to let your struggle be the thing you talk about the most. Speak life! Click To Tweet

Most importantly, don’t let your struggle become an idol– the thing that gets your frequent focus and attention. That’s God’s place!

Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)—[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be). ~ 1 John 5:21 AMPC

Offering those shoulders is just one way He shows you that He loves you. No matter what struggle you’re embroiled in, rest assured, God’s big shoulders are strong and broad enough for it.

Will you throw your burden onto Him?

 

 

Monday’s Marinade-No Condemnation

Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating on this Word. Repeatedly think about and quietly say it to yourself.  Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!

 

Here’s your spiritual marinade for this week:

Monday's Marinade

Focus Friday

Image courtesy of Anekoho  / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Anekoho / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Focus on the following scripture throughout the day. It’s God’s Word and it’s what He desires us to believe. Believe it is true for you because God’s Word is Truth. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day. Personalize it by putting your name in it!

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” ~John 3:17 (NIV)

Trying to Hold it Together

Many times during the struggle with infertility, you feel like you about to fall apart. There is usually  no one else who truly understands what you’re going through, so talking to others about it can be difficult, unproductive, and very frustrating. That frustration can make you choose to just suffer silently. THAT is not a good choice! When you’re trying to hold all that emotion inside of you, it’s only a matter of time before you start to feel like you’ll explode. That explosion can be expressed in anger, self-pity, sadness, bitterness, self-condemnation, and many other destructive ways.

But there is One who can help. Jesus is the One who is capable of understanding this situation and helping you to get through it without falling apart. Colossians 1:17 [NIV] says, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ” His love and grace are available everyday to comfort and guide you through the struggle so the negative emotions don’t overtake you and make you feel like everything is falling apart.

Look to Him today and on a daily basis. Trust His hands to hold you and to keep things in your life held together.

Photo courtesy of Microsoft  / Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis
Photo courtesy of Microsoft / Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis