What a Load!

So, yesterday I decided to spend some time outdoors during morning hours. We are having to replace our porch and decking around our pool this year. Can I tell you, it’s a BIG job!

I was removing decking boards when a small movement in my peripheral caught my attention. I turned my head to look..and to my surprise, I was looking at a scorpion scurrying across the way carrying a roach which was almost bigger than itself. It looked kind of awkward! I stared for a few moments in amazement. That little scorpion was definitely determined!

After watching for a few moments, I thought about how I must look sometimes when I’m attempting to carry the load required during some seasons of life, especially when it’s one which seems way bigger in scale than I am. It’s awkward! It doesn’t look very graceful, I’m sure.

Well, the rest of the story about my outdoor adventure yesterday is that I removed quite a bit of decking boards by myself before I fell through a rotten spot and decided to quit. Yes, you read that right. Today, I have the aches and bruises to prove it. Ouch!

So, today I probably looked a little awkward carrying only myself about my day. No load, just me. I kind of felt like I might have been walking sideways even, but my friend assured me I wasn’t. My body just feels all twisted and stoved up. You see, today I had to carry the consequences for falling yesterday. That’s how life works. There’s always a cause and effect.

Sometimes God requires more of us in certain seasons or on certain days, and in doing so, He strengthens and teaches us that we are capable of handling much more than we realize — and that we can do more than we imagine with Him. Of course, we all know when it’s too heavy, He helps us carry it. However, sometimes He stands by and watches us struggle for a bit to see what we’ll do.

Will we quit because it’s too awkward or the load is too heavy? Will we bring our burden to His feet and seek His assistance? Will we learn the lesson He wants to teach us through each trial? Will we be willing to feel the pain in order to grow?

I want to be like that little scorpion which was determined that no matter what it looked like or how awkward it seemed, it was going to keep carrying on until it got where it needed to be. Determination. Perseverance.

Sometimes we feel like I did after I fell, we just want to pick up all our tools and put them away so we can rest and take a breather. You know what though? I didn’t just leave the tools outside and I did pick up all the boards I had tossed to the side before I quit. Sometimes we just have to muster up the courage to keep on going a little further and longer. That’s what Jesus did! In His humanity, He wanted to quit as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He went all the way to the cross though. He completed His task.

Obviously, my husband told me not to go out and work on the decking anymore because he’s out of town, and I am in quite a bit of pain, but nothing is broken and that’s a huge blessing.

Let’s not be afraid to carry a load or be too concerned about looking awkward doing so. The scorpion finished its task, I completed mine, and Jesus conquered His. Different loads, same outcome. Complete.

Don’t get caught up in the way you look carrying your cross, just keep moving ahead to victory. God’s got you!