Tag: God's love

Bible, blessings, faith, faithful, forgiveness, freedom, God, God's love, God's grace, Jesus, religious, rucking, scripture, sin, spiritual, Uncategorized

Backpack Burdens

katietkennedy

My husband bought me a rucking backpack with a weight included. He will often do a rucking workout and thought it might be a good option for me.

I use the backpack on occasion during a workout. By the time I am finished, my shoulders are very sore no matter how tight I fasten the other buckles. I think it’s just a product of carrying additional weight on your back. When I remove the backpack there is a huge relief. My shoulders are delighted to have the surplus weight gone.

This reminds me of our faith journey. We often carry around burdens we are not meant to carry. We add weight that doesn’t need to be there. Where does this extra weight come from? Sin. Sin separates us from God. When we sin, we distance ourselves from God and add extra pounds to that backpack by feeling unworthy, ashamed, guilty, or too full of pride to admit our mistake. All these weights are added by Satan, not our Heavenly Father.

God has not meant for us to hold this unneeded load. When we come to God humbly, repent, and cast our burdens on Him, He receives them. He unloads them from our back. Jesus carries the weight of our sins, worries, or anything weighing us down. He knows we are not made to handle that heaviness. He loves us too much. This is why God sent Jesus down to die for our sins so we wouldn’t have to live afflicted with our burdens.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

Find peace in the words of Romans 8:38. “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Cast off those burdens and live in the freedom God intends for you.

Bible, blessings, bravery, challenges, faith, Family, forgiveness, fortitude, God, God's grace, God's will, Jesus, positivity, religious, sin, spiritual, Uncategorized, women

Lessons from the Lost

katietkennedy

I attended my grandmother’s funeral recently. She passed away 98 years of age.

We all have spiritual icons in our lives, and she was mine. As I came into my faith, I realized what a rich and deep spiritual life she led. She didn’t necessarily talk about her faith, she just lived it out.

My grandmother, Gerry loved like Jesus. I’m sure she was aware of her own sin, but as her granddaughter, she appeared unflawed. She loved others as I have never seen. She poured out her gifts and love on everyone she came in contact with. They became part of her family. She knew their stories and how she could pray for them. She gave generously to those that were struggling or gave them a ride to church if they didn’t have one.

Here’s the ironic part. Gerry didn’t have a smooth childhood. She lost her mom at a young age and was separated from her twin sister. Her past was filled with rejection, uncertainty, bribery, and instability. She had a lot of justification to be bitter and angry.

Instead, she asked God into her heart at eleven. He healed her wounds and taught her how to forgive and love. She learned to depend on her one true Heavenly Father, the one person who would never disappoint.

I remember having sleepovers at Nana’s house as a child. As we lay down for bed, she went on her knees saying her prayers (never forcing me to join her). I’m quite sure I can credit some of my faith to her prayers being answered.

What does this have to do with us? Well, it reminds me that we have a choice in life. We can choose bitterness, anger, and resentment. Some of us have good reason for all of those feelings. Or we can choose Christ. We can choose to put our faith in our Heavenly Father who can heal our wounds, comfort our tears, and mend our broken hearts.

I look to my Grandmother in awe of what she overcame. Her story is a testament to what God is capable of doing in someone’s life. He is a God of healing and never-ending love. Will you ask Him into your heart?