Focusontheheart

🧳🧳🧳𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲…

Today's inspiration comes from:
Experiencing the Heart of Jesus
by Max Lucado

Imagine yourself donning the literal pieces of luggage (all overpacked). You’re carrying a suitcase of guilt in one hand and a sack of discontent in the other. There’s a duffel bag of weariness slung over one shoulder and bag of grief on the other.

A backpack of doubt is strapped on your back.

Let that mental picture linger for a moment. The exhaustion. The stretched muscles. The strain on your cramped fingers and your aching back. Now, imagine dropping each piece. Feel the release. Take in a deep breath. Finally, you are free!

If we let Him, God will lighten our loads.

But how do we let Him? May I invite an old friend to show us?

The Twenty-third Psalm. You know how it starts:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. — Psalm 23:1–3

Does a more beloved psalm exist? Framed and hung in hospital halls, scratched on prison walls, quoted by the young, and whispered by the dying. In these lines sailors have found a harbor, the frightened have found a Father, and strugglers have found a friend. It’s been set to music in a hundred songs, translated into a thousand tongues, domiciled in a million hearts.

One of those hearts might be yours. What kinship do you feel with this psalm? Where do its verses transport you? To a fireside? Bedside? Graveside?

This passage is to the minister what balm is to the physician. I recently applied them to the heart of a dear friend. I was summoned to his house with the words, “the doctors aren’t giving him more than a few days.” I looked at him and understood. Face pale. Lips stretched and parched. Skin draping between bones like old umbrella cloth between spokes. The cancer had taken so much: his appetite, his strength, his days. But the cancer hadn’t touched his faith.

Pulling a chair to his bed and squeezing his hand, I whispered, “Bill, ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’” He rolled his head toward me as if to welcome the words. Reaching the fourth verse, fearful that he might not hear, I leaned forward until I was a couple of inches from his ear and said, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” He didn’t open his eyes, but he arched his brows. He didn’t speak, but his thin fingers curled around mine. I wondered if the Lord was helping him set down some luggage: the fear of dying.

Do you think God might use David’s psalm to lighten your load?

Traveling light means trusting God with the burdens that you were never intended to bear.

He wants to use you. But how can He use you if you are exhausted?
If we let Him, God will lighten our loads.
It reminds me of a time I was preparing for a jog but couldn’t decide what to wear. The sun was out, but the wind was chilly. The sky was clear, but the forecast said rain. Jacket or sweatshirt? The Boy Scout within me prevailed. I wore both.

I needed to stay in touch my kids, so I carried a cell phone. I worried that someone might steal my car, so I pocketed my keys. As a precaution against thirst, I brought along some drink money in a pouch. I looked more like a pack mule than a runner! Within half a mile, I was peeling off the jacket and hiding it in a bush. That kind of weight will slow you down.

What’s true in jogging is true in faith. God has a great race for you to run. Under His care, you will go where you’ve never been and serve in ways you’ve never dreamed. But you will first have to drop some stuff. After all, how can you share grace with others if you are full of guilt? How can you offer comfort to someone in need if you are disheartened? How can you lift someone else’s load if your arms are full with your own?

Have you ever considered the impact that excess baggage you are carrying has had on your relationships? We’ve made this point at our church by virtue of a drama.

A wedding is reenacted in which we hear the thoughts of the bride and groom. The groom enters, laden with luggage. A bag dangles from every appendage. And each bag is labeled: guilt, anger, arrogance, insecurities. This fellow is loaded. As he stands at the altar, the audience hears him thinking, Finally, a woman who will help me carry all my burdens. She’s so strong, so stable, so...

As his thoughts continue, hers begin. She enters, wearing a wedding gown but, like her fiancé, is covered with luggage. Pulling a hanging bag, shouldering a carry-on, hauling a makeup kit, paper sack — everything you could imagine and everything labeled. She has her own bags: prejudice, loneliness, disappointments. And her expectations? Just listen to what she is thinking: Just a few more minutes and I’ve got a husband. No more counselors. No more group sessions. So long, discouragement and worry. I won’t be seeing you anymore. He’s going to fix me.

They stand at the altar, lost in a mountain of luggage. They smile their way through the ceremony. But when given the invitation to kiss each other, they can’t. Their arms are so full of bags that they can’t embrace each other.

For the sake of the God you serve, travel light.
For the sake of those you love, travel light.
For the sake of your own joy, travel light.

There are certain weights in life you simply cannot carry. Your Lord is asking you to set them down and trust Him. He is the father at the baggage claim. When a dad sees his five-year-old son trying to drag the family trunk off the carousel, what does he say? The father will say to his son what God is saying to you.

“Set it down, child. I’ll carry that one.”

What do you say we take God up on His offer? We just might find ourselves traveling a little lighter.

By the way, I may have previously overstated my packing problems. (I don’t usually take snowshoes when I’m traveling.) But I can’t overstate God’s promise:

Throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon Him, for you are His personal concern. — 1 Peter 5:7 Phillips

Jesus invites you to drop the baggage you try to carry through life.
Give Him the burdens you were never intended to bear.
You cannot reach out to others if your hands are already full.
Take Jesus up on His offer and learn how to travel light.

IᗰᗩGIᑎᗩTIOᑎ✨
𝙶𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎. 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚋𝚜 𝟺.𝟸𝟹

𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙜𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙃𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣? 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚 “𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.” 𝙉𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙩, 𝙬𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.

𝙒𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣.
𝙒𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙪𝙩.
𝙒𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙖 𝙫𝙖𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙩.

𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙚, 𝙬𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙂𝙤𝙙’𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨.

𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙬𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤’𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮, 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 “𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤.” 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤’𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙣𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮, 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.

𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝙄𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙙. 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢, 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤…𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙, 𝙄 𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙂𝙤𝙙. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮, 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙. 𝙄𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨. 𝙄𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙. 𝙐𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙.

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