The Weight of the World is No Match for God
Mmmkay. So, I got up one morning and went for a walk; it was a Thursday (Friday Eve if ya feelin’ fancy). I’d made it back home and started getting my work clothes together and out of my peripheral, I noticed a large piece of black lint… or a hairball (I didn’t pay attention to which it was) – no big deal.
As I continued my preparation, something just wouldn’t let me leave that lint ball be, so I glanced down at it again. To my horror (that sounded really story-ish, right?), it was a large black cricket! Y’all, Jiminy Cricket had invaded my bedroom!
Now, I noticed that he noticed me because he immediately stopped moving. His antennae froze, he slowly put his leg down and sat there on my carpet. Okay, my first instinct was to yell for someone to come kill him, but the gag is, I live alone sooo, yeah. Next, I was going to run to grab some tissue to squash him, but I was afraid that if I walked away, he’d move, hide, and attack me in my sleep (stop laughing lol).
I stood there in the middle of my bedroom floor, looking around for something to get him with, and I saw nothing. I then looked down, to the right and noticed my ten-pound weights. Uh-huh, I sure did… I picked up one of those weights and dropped it right on top of Jiminy’s wee little body. I figured it would hold him down and kill him so I wouldn’t have to.
Then, I ran to the bathroom to grab 42 squares of bathroom tissue, and right back to my room.
So, here’s the kicker, when I got back and picked up the weight, Jiminy was ready to try to take off. Yep, he survived the weight. He lifted one of his legs and was going to go for it, that is until I grabbed my house slipper that I had found on the way from the bathroom. Finally, I squashed his little life away.
You’re Still Alive and Kicking
Alright, this is not about how I crushed a cricket so you can stop thinking about it – which you probably can’t now – and there won’t be a quiz later. This is, instead, about how that cricket survived that 10-pound weight I dropped on him.
Now, it may have something to do with the fact that I think he’s the same cricket I kicked out of my apartment and he had a vendetta against me – but we’ll deal with that another time, or not. Seriously though, he survived the weight that I meant to be so heavy that it killed him.
The same way you are surviving that weight that was designed to take you out.
You may be like Jiminy and need to kick your leg out a little to be sure you’re still moving, but you are, indeed, in the game. I know that most days it can seem like life stood right over you and dropped that 10-ton weight on your back and left you for dead. But, I admonish you to notice that you are still standing! There will probably be days that you have to check your own pulse, but you’re here, my dear.
So, What’s the Play Call?
Life gets hard and the strains and pressures of life can get pretty heavy. Here are a few things to remember when you feel the weight of the world drop on you:
- Know that when you feel weakest, God is His strongest in your life. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
- Give that weight to God. He is ready and willing to lift it off of your shoulders, all you must do is surrender to Him. “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” Psalms 55:22 (NLT)
- Take on God’s strength to help you make it through. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10
- Know that God will give you strength. I know for a fact that sometimes it feels as if that relief will never come. It seems as if this weight will bog you down forever but know that God will give you strength. “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” Isaiah 40:29 (NLT)
Hang in there, teammates! One of two things is bound to happen – either the weight of the world will be lifted, or you will rise up with it on your shoulders. Whatever God allows, know that He is your strength.
Have you ever said to someone, “May I offer you a suggestion?”
The enemy often uses the power of suggestion because there are limits to what he can do to us. For example, the devil cannot:
My dog and I walked side-by-side for a little while – until she got distracted. In the distance, she spotted another dog across the street. Her body grew tense.
“You start out with me in early morning prayer, 
A fully green banana means it’s not yet ripe; the banana is tough and tastes like cardboard. A banana with no spots but a greenish stem is sweet – the ones that restaurants use for your pancakes and banana splits. A light sprinkling of spots on a banana is a tad sweeter. When the spots get bigger, the banana is very sweet and less firm. When covered in spots or on the verge of turning black, its only use is for banana bread or foods that require a natural banana flavor. When they turn black, they are squishy and rotten.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-3, says, “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to uproot. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build.”
The scripture that my husband quoted when he and I were talking was Proverbs 15:22 NIV, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.”
Spring and summer are the ideal times to take a family trip to the market, local farm or berry patch. Kids get exposed to produce in a natural environment. Conversation naturally evolves around the fruits and vegetables they see. There is no pressure and instead, it becomes a fun family experience with the potential for lots of photos and memories! 
This is a fun way to help your kids create in the kitchen! They have vivid imaginations. Instead of giving them what we think they should eat, this strategy allows them to concoct their own creations. By allowing them to decide what they will put in their yogurt bowl, you are empowering and affirming them in their ability to make food decisions. You set the boundaries. Kids make the decisions. They like to be able to experience control. Parents determine the options, but the kids get to decide which ones, how much, how high, how many layers, how abstract, and how utterly delicious! 
A few nights ago, I found myself lying restlessly awake in bed. I was thinking about all of the “what ifs” and “buts” that I made about my life’s decisions. Of course, this is nothing strange or different, we all tend to do this from time to time, but for some reason, I could not find peace to rest. 
Too often people search for comfort and peaceful rest in the form of unhealthy relationships, alcohol, drugs, and other vices to escape their “running mind”. This only creates a pause or a temporary sense of relief from the anxieties in the real world. 
It’s all for your protection. Listen to me y’all, hear me good: God’s order is for your protection!
Though September 23rd marks the official first day of fall, I did not need a calendar to recognize the changing of the seasons. Everything in creation gloriously points to this transition! From the crisp coolness of the early morning air to the return of pumpkin spice lattes, it is with open arms I welcome my absolute favorite season of the year!
Busy weeknights call for easy sheet pan meals that can be thrown together in a flash, just like this recipe. But, we aren’t forgetting about taste. This One-Pan Fall Vegetables and Chicken Sausage boasts
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare brussel sprouts by washing, chopping off ends, removing any brown leaves and cutting in half; place in a large bowl along with the cubed butternut squash. Add the olive oil, maple syrup or honey, spicy mustard, salt and pepper and combine well.
