In the Weeds

 It's been a while. 

Life has a way of getting in the way of our hopes and dreams. We can get caught up in the weeds, choked into silence, wishing we had a voice ... that voice we once had when we were young, full of hope for the future.  Before the responsibility of children, home, career ... 

Jesus would often teach his disciples in parables. Stories with spiritual lessons explained with natural, human experiences. One such story, "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold" (Luke 8:5-7 NKJV).

He went on to explain this to his disciples, telling them the thorns were representative of the cares of this world that choke out the truth, and passion for life. This makes me wonder if the letter to the church of Ephesus: "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love" (Revelation 2:1-4 NKJV). 

Life had become a matter of checked boxes, lists, doing right, shunning wrong ... but the heart became calloused because of the chaffing and pain brought on by the "thorns" of this world. Friends turned their backs, families fell apart, loved ones "died too soon," and prayers seemed to fall to the ground--unheard. But it would be against everything we believe to deny the One whom we know deep within holds the answers to life and death.

Eventually, fatigue that cannot be shaken settles in. Health concerns begin to plague our lives. Studies reveal stress, anxiety, and worry often play integral roles in elevating blood pressure and breaking down immune systems (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). 

Jesus didn't leave us with the choked, lifeless person who'd been overrun by the cares of life. Instead, he said in Revelation 2:5,7 "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent ... to him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."

This gives hope. Overcoming discouragement or hardness of heart lies within remembering, and reminiscing over God's goodness in our lives. What was it that brought us to Him? Were there any events, needs, or answers we searched for and found as He led us?

Whenever I rehearse His goodness over my past, I begin to see Him again in my present and find it within to trust Him with my future. My soul begins to feel renewed.

Over time, I plan to share instances of God's goodness, His grace, His love and faithfulness. 

Cleveland Clinic (2022) Do stress and anxiety cause high blood pressure? https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-stress-cause-high-blood-pressure