Carry One Another's Burdens

This school year has started out kind of yucky.
Not our preschool – our preschool is actually thriving and is a blessed refuge for our students, parents, and staff.
But, on a personal level, my sisters-in-Christ and I seem to be experiencing spiritual attacks from all sides:

• Medical illnesses appearing suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere
• Physical, emotional, and spiritual issues trying to rob us of our peace and joy
• Financial stresses that want to put us in bondage of fear and worry
• Daily life struggles and the worries that come from raising teens and young adults 
• And, the tragic loss of a dear friend that pulled the rug from under us and knocked the wind out of our sails.

See, yucky is putting it mildly.

Last year we were riding high - weddings, blessings, and miracles that made us stand up and say, “GOD, You are amazing!”

It was all good! But then this year, “Crash, boom, bang!”
I feel like the runner pictured above. How about you? Do you feel like you've fallen and can't get up?

During the 2014 Boston Marathon, the runner pictured above collapsed a few hundred feet from the finish line. Two fellow runners stopped, put their arms around him, and tried to help him walk. However, his legs could not carry him further. So, two additional runners stopped, picked up his legs, and the four of them carried him over the finish line where the crowd erupted in loud applause.

I think one of the reasons I grieved the loss of my friend, Donna, so much is that she was someone I could count on to carry one of my legs. Few people really get me. I’m kind of a mess, a ball of stress, I fixate on End Time prophecy to the point of being annoying, and I can get a little heavy handed and abrasive when it comes to politics. But Donna got me. She would gently correct me when I got out of hand. She would encourage and talk me off the cliff when I struggled with End Time fear. Without her, I feel like one of my legs is dangling a few hundred feet from the finish line.

This picture reminded me of the scripture verses, Hebrews 12:1-2:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I did a little research and discovered the “great crowd of witnesses” is the heroes of the faith listed in Hebrews chapter 11 - Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Samson, David, etc. These heroes persevered and overcame extreme hardships and trials and God commended them for their faith. Paul speaks of these witnesses as our examples of faith to emulate when we face our own trials. They kept their eyes focused on the promises of God and the coming Messiah. In each of their trials, God showed Himself faithful. They finished their races well, so we should look to them as trainers in the race of faith. Looking at their examples, we see that the race set before us is not a sprint but a marathon, which is why the Word says that we must run with perseverance and endurance.

But sometimes no matter how hard we train, an unexpected injury, fatigue, or an unforeseen obstacle can trip us up.
Sometimes, we stumble and fall, and no matter how hard we try to hobble along, we need someone to help us back up again.

For the last couple months, I’ve had these divine appointments with people: in parking lots, in stores, at my daughter’s school, and usually when I’m least expecting it. These people are suffering with illness, divorce, and hardships. God is leading me to pray for them right there on the spot. Sometimes, I don’t even know what to say or worse I can’t remember their name, but just putting my arms around them and praying seems to help get their eyes focused back on Jesus. Which is really all I can do because Jesus is the only Healer and source of hope. Maybe, God is placing me in their lives for that moment, just to pick them up and get them a little closer to their own finish line.

Below, I have posted a video of  Derek Redmond who during the 1992 Olympics tore a hamstring 175 meters from the finish line. Instead of quitting, he lifted himself up and started to hobble down the track. His father forced his way through the crowd and security to reach his son and helped his sobbing son complete the race.
YouTube video link: Inspirational Olympic Moment -Father and Son Finish the Race Together

Watching the video, I thought:
Sometimes we’re the runner with the torn hamstring hobbling to the finish line needing a strong shoulder to lean on.
Sometimes, God wants us to be like the father running towards his son, lending a helping hand to a fellow runner who has fallen.
But, always, we can count on God, our Father, making His way through the crowd, forcing His way through security, not letting any obstacle get in His way from reaching us when we have fallen. God wraps His loving arms around us, gives us His strength to carry on, and travels with us to the finish line.

I’d like to end with an excerpt from the story of this Olympic runner, Derek, and his dad.

 "I'm here, son," Jim says softly, hugging his boy. "We'll finish together." Derek puts his arms around his father's shoulders and sobs. Together, arm in arm, father and son, with 65,000 people cheering, clapping and crying, finish the race, just as they vowed they would. A couple steps from the finish line, and with the crowd in an absolute frenzy, Jim releases the grip he has on his son, so Derek could cross the finish line by himself. Then he throws his arms around Derek again, both crying, along with everyone in the stands and on TV. "I'm the proudest father alive," he tells the press afterwards, tears in his eyes. "I'm prouder of him than I would have been if he had won the gold medal. It took a lot of guts for him to do what he did."

In our season of trails, let's fix our eyes on Jesus, our Champion who initiates and perfects our faith. As He continues to prefect our faith, we must be ready for those divine appointments because He is going to send hurting people our way to share the hope and faith we have within us. So, we can’t let our trials keep us down. We must stand up. We must move forward. We must lead the way so that others can follow. And, let’s also remember the crowd of witnesses who have gone before us who are standing at the finish line cheering us on, including my friend Donna who I imagine is cheering the loudest. When we cross that finish line, God will say to us, “I’m the proudest Father alive!”

So, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let's carry one another's burdens in prayer. Because prayer is the only way to tap into the Power Source that will strengthen us to make it through this season so…
Let us take a new grip with our tired hands and strengthen our weak knees. Let us mark out a straight path for our feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. Hebrews 12:12-13 (NLT)
Let us return to the LORD and rest in Him, for only then will we be saved. In quietness and confidence is our strength. The LORD waits for us to come to Him so He can show us His love and compassion. For the LORD is a Faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His Help. Isaiah 30:15,18

Love,
Yolanda

This post is dedicated to my beloved sisters-in-Christ who I am blessed enough to call co-workers and family.