How could the load you currently bear help you to progress in ways you’ve previously been unable?
A few nights ago, as I was reflecting on the day, the humorous scene from Muppets Treasure Island came to my mind. The sea is like glass and there is zero wind in their sails. They break into a “Cabin Fever” song and after their comical performance, the wind returns and they continue to progress on their journey.
The doldrum, cabin fever scene perfectly captured my feelings for the day. We were trying but felt quite the lack of gusto.
Trust in God
My wandering mind went to the East Indie jungles with Darlene Deibler Rose, a missionary during World War II. In her book Evidence Not Seen, you witness her transformation into placing her complete trust in God through her trials. At one point, she was taken to a Japanese prison and was put in complete solidarity. Nearing the end of this unimaginable experience, she said,
“I was assured that my faith rested not on feelings, not on moments of ecstasy, but on the Person of my matchless, changeless Savior, in Whom is no shadow caused by turning. In a measure I felt I understood what Job meant when he declared, ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him’ (13:15). Job knew that he could trust God, because Job knew the character of the One in Whom he had put his trust. It was faith stripped of feelings, faith without trappings. More than ever before, I knew that I could ever and always put my trust, my faith, in my glorious Lord.” (p. 156)
I love Rose’s description of her faith becoming purified and centered solely on Christ through her trying experience.
Our Load Can Help Us Progress
David A. Bednar gave another excellent example of the importance opposition plays in our progression.
His friend had recently purchased a new truck and, to prove its usefulness, determined to go and get some firewood. An early storm that year resulted in deepening snow as he progressed up the mountainside. Eventually, he’d gone too far, and the truck got stuck. His attempts to dislodge the truck were unsuccessful. With no other options before him, he proceeded, with some fear and embarrassment, to cut the wood and fill the back of the truck with the heavy load.
Once the task was complete, he made another attempt to get the truck out of the snow. “As he put the pickup into gear and applied power, he started to inch forward. Slowly the truck moved out of the snow and back onto the road. He finally was free to go home, a happy and humbled man.” (See a short video of the story here)
“It was the load. It was the load of wood that provided the traction necessary for him to get out of the snow, to get back on the road, and to move forward. It was the load that enabled him to return to his family and his home.” (Bear Up Their burdens with Ease)
We Progress Through Christ
These examples can serve as a reminder that a load can serve us. The load we are asked to bear has the potential to provide the traction we need to progress areas of life that were slow-growing previously. I absolutely have days that feel like I am lacking some wind in my sails and am going a bit crazy. But I’m seeing the Lord use the present circumstances to progress me and others in ways that may be unseen, but are real. Ways that are teaching me how to discern between good, better, and best. Ways that are helping me to put much more intention into my most treasured relationships. And especially ways that are giving me a load that brings me more completely to Christ, ready to hear Him with a softer heart and more anxious ears. I need to hear Him more clearly, so I’m making more of an effort, and I’m seeing the blessings that come.
My prayer is that even as we are feeling a greater load in our lives, we can recognize other precious parts of our life that are progressing because of that weight. How is your “load” helping you to progress?
More thoughts about finding peace here!
Photo: Nicolas Jossi
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