trbccoffeebreak

“Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.” Matthew 11:28 & 30 (GNB)

Lay down your burdens. Leave your cares at the cross. I’ve heard it all. I’ve done it all. In good faith, emotions high, desiring to be set free. And then, life happens. The darkness returns. Hope fades. The walls come up and my desire to run, far away, returns. How did my mountaintop moment descend into inescapable bondage?

“We have too many Lego bricks”, I murmur as I look across my children’s play area. I too have bricks. One pile is called “Not Listened to.” As a child my parents divorced, spent little time with me, drank too much and allowed me to be abused; no one listened. Another pile is called “Rejection.” That’s the deluxe Lego kit for those who want to impress with the number of pieces in the box. Rejection from the earliest I can remember: not being invited, not being good enough, not being the right look, not being part of the in-crowd or the chosen leaders. If something even feels remotely similar to rejection, I pull up my pile of Rejection bricks. And from that mountain of pain, I operate. I judge, analyze, replay details over and over. Of course, I add a few more bricks to the pile. I like to think that these bricks were put in place only in childhood but truthfully I’ve added too many to count as an adult. I have numerous stacks of bricks of varying heights and age; some have toppled over, others stand strong beckoning the addition of a few more.

May we bring our stored bricks of hurt, wounding and pain to our Father’s throne. May we receive grace to recognize the difference between today’s hurts and those of yesterday. We beg for the healing of both. May we be reminded that God’s touch caused the deaf man to hear. As He placed His hands on the blind man’s eyes, he saw. God has ordained all our days and has provided for us wholeness in Him. We simply need to receive it.

“Father, may I use the bricks of life for what you intended – creativity, fun with friends and to make beautiful structures that hold dreams and possibilities for the future. And I do this all for Your Glory for my only hope is in You.”

For His Glory

Kathryn Hayman
TRBC Women’s Life