One of Those Days

Today was one of those days when, I woke up with a hundred pounds of weight already on my shoulder. Do you know what I'm talking about? Your feet don't even hit the floor yet and your eyes are already filling with tears...your muscles are tense...and your mind is spinning.

And of course, I was stressing over my classes...over some family heartaches...friends that had broken my heart recently with their anti-God behavior and attitude...over deadlines... responsibilities...weaknesses... fatigue...and I could keep going. You probably have your own list right now.

By the time I got my prayer journal out, all I wanted to do was lament and cry out for mercy under these burdens (and there is a place for that)...But instead, the Holy Spirit stirred in my heart the quiet suggestion "Melanie, why don't you write out some things to be thankful for this morning."

What?? Thankful?? I don't want to be thankful! I want relief from the weight of all these burdens! But the Holy Spirit kept tugging at my heart.

So I started with the good things that I could for sure be thankful for. You know, provision, protection, and general blessings in my life right now. The easy stuff.

More tugging...

So I took it a step further and thanked God for giving me the opportunity to work through the sinful areas in my heart that all these trials were revealing. And for the good He promises to produce in me, through enduring fiery trials. The hard stuff.

More tugging...

Then this realization all of the sudden flooded over me. I should be most thankful for the Gospel!

The Gospel means that I can come to God in the first place. The Gospel means that Christ not only suffered just for my sin, but He also suffered to be my sympathetic High Priest (Heb 2:17-18). Which means He is with me and compassionate towards me as I walk through this painful world. He knows my weakness as I face hard temptations. And He is able to fully cleanse me of each and every one of my sins. There is no greater news than that. Because there is no greater problem for humankind, then our standing before a Holy God, and His position towards us as we live our lives.

So today...I can be encouraged. And no matter how burdened I am...I can have hope. GREAT HOPE!

Because my biggest problem, has already been taken care of.

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
-Matt 11:28