When You Need a Break from all the Heavy Burdens... A Five Minute Friday post.

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When You Need a Break
from all the Heavy Burdens... 
You head for the sea! 
(Well, if you are like us, anyway!)

This is a Five Minute Friday post, which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat on the one word prompt: BURDEN

{GO!}

As I am tapping these words out, I am ever so thankful that I don't really need my eyes to see where the keys are... I've been at this long enough to be able to type with my eyes closed - which is basically what I am doing right now.

I haven't been super quiet about this long(er than we thought, hoped for, or desired) In Between season and I've hinted at some of the Heavy and Hard that we have endured over the last few years.  

My natural bent towards counting gifts and focusing on the blessings... on the positive and not the negative... on the abundance and not the lack... can make it seem like our life is charmed (it is) and that everything goes our way (it doesn't... but we trust that somehow it goes HIS way and we know He tells us again and again that His ways are higher and better anyway, right?)

But you guys... 

This is a hard season packed full with heavy burdens and if we are not careful, we can forget that those --well, those are not ours to carry!


We know this, right?

It's just that we forget! (I forget!)

Jesus said it Himself in Matthew 11... 

“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.” ~Matthew 11:28-30 TPT

Wait... what?  

All that He requires of us will be 'pleasant and easy to bear'? 
Who doesn't want THAT to be true?!

Here's the thing... 
 That IS true when we remember!  

When we remember that we are to roll over all of the heavy burdens that come our way and let Him shoulder them for us... when we remember that He offers us a Trade Up... the BEST Trade ever offered in all of the Universe for all of history from forever until forever... and all we need to do it say yes and trust and believe!

Now I realize that 'all' in there is huge and that in itself can become a heavy burden! 

I get it... I do!

I am a crazy faith girl and while I haven't talked about it a lot around here, it has been over a year or more that I have battled a strange pain in my head.  It's not that I am against doctors (although I do prefer trying natural methods first) but with no health insurance, and no income, and a supernatural peace that carries us through... well, life is still good, even when the burden feels heavy and the path unclear.

The pain sort of moves around and most often it feels like what I'm guessing allergies feel like*... pressure mostly - and sometimes pain. But - it moves around... so sometimes it comes in the form of a headache or a migraine and sometimes it feels like it is in my sinuses... other times it feels like it could be jaw or teeth related and always it is worse when I lay down! Which means my sleep... yeah... for a long time, it hasn't been so great!

{STOP!}

Grace, sweet readers! You know I barely got to what I wanted to say here...

So last weekend, even though it didn't make any sense... (read: we still have no employment and no leads or open doors that we can see!) we knew we needed a break from all the burdens and for us --that means an escape to the oceans' edge!

There is something about that salty sea air and the wind in my hair and the sound of the rhythm of the tide coming in and going out and the songs of the seagulls and the quiet in the midst of all the crashing waves that breathes rest and refreshing to our souls!

But we took a little detour to get there and stopped to drink in the majesty...

And then He led me once again to this Psalm:

"I long to drink of you, O God, drinking deeply from the streams of pleasure flowing from your presence. My longings overwhelm me for more of you! My soul thirsts, pants, and longs for the living God. I want to come and see the face of God.

Day and night my tears keep falling and my heart keeps crying for your help while my enemies mock me over and over, saying, “Where is this God of yours? Why doesn’t he help you?”

So I speak over my heartbroken soul, “Take courage. Remember when you used to be right out front leading the procession of praise when the great crowd of worshiper gathered to go into the presence of the Lord? You shouted with joy as the sound of passionate celebration filled the air and the joyous multitude of lovers honored the festival of the Lord!”

So then, my soul, why would you be depressed? Why would you sink into despair? Just keep hoping and waiting on God, your Savior. For no matter what, I will still sing with praise, for living before his face is my saving grace!

Here I am depressed and downcast. Yet I will still remember you as I ponder the place where your glory streams down from the mighty mountaintops, lofty and majestic—the mountains of your awesome presence.

My deep need calls out to the deep kindness of your love. Your waterfall of weeping sent waves of sorrow over my soul, carrying me away, cascading over me like a thundering cataract

Yet all day long God’s promises of love pour over me. Through the night I sing his songs, for my prayer to God has become my life.

I will say to God, “You are my mountain of strength; how could you forget me? Why must I suffer this vile oppression of my enemies— these heartless tormentors who are out to kill me?”

Their wounding words pierce my heart over and over while they say, “Where is this God of yours?”

So I say to my soul, “Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be disturbed. For I know my God will break through for me.” Then I’ll have plenty of reasons to praise him all over again. Yes, living before his face is my saving grace!"

~Ps42 The Passion Translation (Emphasis mine!)

And here's the other thing: 
The whole time we were gone, I had zero pain and slept great and felt so refreshed! 

I wish I could tell you that this was my breakthrough and I am healed... but that is not (yet) the case. I came home and within hours, the pain returned and the difficulty sleeping along with it! (I'm beginning to wonder if I am allergic to my hometown or my own home!)

And currently, I am back to not being able to wear contacts due to some sort of toxic allergic reaction in my eyes. We don't know why or to/from what... and while the enemy would love to sow fear, I am remembering daily to roll this burden on over to the Lord and Trade Up... for His yoke is easy and His burden is light!

And no matter what, I will praise Him!

After all, He just gifted me a little R&R filled with all kinds of beauty that I was able to see... and see clearly, without pain!

You guys... even in the midst of Heavy and Hard... 
He's so good! He's even better than we think!

Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today.  Five Minute Fridays give us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about "BURDEN"

The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk about food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second-guess it all away. We'd love to have you join us!

I'm also linking up with the lovely writer community linked below:

Crystal Twaddell for #FreshMarketFriday

Mary Geisen for #TellHisStory

Kelly Balarie for #RaRaLinkUp

Lori Schumaker for #MomentsofHope

Holley Gerth for #LetsHaveCoffee

Lastly, talking requires no contacts or Vision, and that means that we (finally!) have a new episode up for the Changing our minds podcast. We'd love to have you join us as we talk about All things fall!