The Sea of Forgetfulness
I've been pondering a beautiful truth from God's Word that has filled my heart with immense gratitude and joy. It's found in Micah 7:19 (KJV), which says, "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."
Isn't that an incredible promise? When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God takes our sins—every single one of them—and hurls them into the depths of the sea. This is often referred to as the sea of forgetfulness, a place where our sins are forever out of reach, unable to affect our salvation or standing before God.
Helpless But Hopeful
At the time of this writing, it is three days before our biggest community event of the year. I’ve been planning and preparing for weeks, hoping to iron out every wrinkle so the day will run smoothly and successfully. But you know what the Bible says about man's plans, right?
About a week and a half ago, my back decided to throw one of its fits. This wasn't its everyday pinch, sting, and ache. This was lying flat in the bed for an entire week! Yup, a whole week where I couldn't work on the mountain of things that needed to be done. Oh, how helpless and frustrated I felt.
After a visit with my osteopath, I finally started feeling some relief and could start pecking away at a chore here and there as long as I took long rest and stretch breaks in between.
Tightrope Trusting
As I was doing my Optimize Your Day routine this morning, I looked out my office window and saw a large bird land on the overhead power line. This power line isn't very taught, and the wind was blowing pretty hard. The bird tried to steady itself, but it was a comical sight. Its tail feathers were pointing and flexing, and its wings would occasionally shoot out to steady itself. It was like watching a tightrope walker trying to keep their balance or a child trying to swing for the first time.
This lasted several seconds until the bird finally gave up and flew off. As I watched this, I couldn't help but think about how often I feel like that bird.
Looking Up When Life Weighs You Down
One of my favorite things to do here in Wales is visit old castles. There’s just something about the history and architecture that fascinates me. But as much as I love exploring these ancient structures, I always end up with a pain in my neck the next day.
When you're walking around a castle, you're constantly looking up. You're admiring the tall towers, the intricate carvings, and the beautiful stained glass windows. But, after a while, all that looking up can take a toll on your neck (especially if you already have neck issues).
Life can be the same way. We want to be positive and keep looking up, but sometimes, circumstances causes such a pain in the neck that we find our gaze slipping down to the depths of despair. Our “eyes fail with looking upward.”
Journey Through the Middle
Have you ever felt stuck in a rut? Like a hamster on the wheel, you’re going through the motions but not really making any progress. I’ve been there. In fact, I’m there right now, and it can be discouraging, to say the least. But here's the thing: Sometimes, being stuck in a rut is a necessary step toward where God wants us to be. Just look at the story of Joseph.
Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers and sold into slavery. He ended up in Potipher's house, where he was eventually falsely accused and thrown into prison. But even in prison, Joseph rose to the top. He became the keeper of the prison, overseeing all the other prisoners.