Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
The spring winds are still having their way around here and sure enough the signs of a new season are popping up all over. I am also aware of the signs of a new season moving within me. I expected it, much as I expect the change of any season, because I've seen and experienced it many times before.
However, this pattern of see and believe doesn't always work for me. I know from experience that I am not in control. God has shown me time and time again that He is in control and it always comes as such a relief. Repeatedly he has carried the load, mended the heart, and given grace for the day at hand. I know from experience that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Still, I occasionally find myself believing I've got everything under control. I get tired from carrying the load. The poisonous gases of anxiety and worry seep in. Faith is a journey that takes a lifetime. Meanwhile, I have found a good visual that helps me out. Literally putting my hands on a concept of faith helps me to build faith.
I discovered this exercise when I was a youth group leader. All you need is a helium balloon, a felt tip marker, something fairly heavy like a rock or a brick, a wide open space and faith that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
On the balloon, write down whatever is weighing you down. Maybe it’s a need to forgive someone or to be forgiven. Maybe it’s a load of responsibility that you just can’t carry by yourself anymore. It might be a loved one in trouble whom you feel powerless to help, a boss on your last nerve, or a dream that seems infinitely out of reach. Whatever it is that you long to give to the Lord, write it on the balloon.
Secure the string of the balloon and the brick in your hand and hold it straight out. While you’re doing this begin praying. Praise God for his ability and willingness to take the weight off your shoulders. Pray about the issue at hand. Ask for the strength to not retrieve it from him once you’ve given it to him. Pray what is on your heart. Before long, your arm will start to ache from the weight. But as in real life, you will be able to hold out a little longer. Eventually, your arm will give out and the rock will fall to the ground.
The balloon carrying your weighty words, however, is on its way into the sky and out of sight. Take a moment to weave the meaning of the symbolism into the fabric of your soul. I hope you feel lighter. I do.
This doesn’t mean that I’ll stop taking action or being concerned about this or that thing. Hopefully it means that my actions will be more fruitful unlike the exhausting re-actions that wear me out emotionally and physically. My concerns will motivate me to be closer to God rather than worries that lead me away.
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