Not Mine to Carry
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Insight
When I was in college, I fell in love with paddle boarding. I worked part-time at a local shop that wanted to begin paddleboarding tours at Bald Head. Although I didn't know much about it at the time, I was willing to learn and didn't want to pass up an opportunity to spend the day on the water. So I volunteered to lead as many lessons and tours as possible and quickly discovered where I most felt at peace. It was serene and beautiful. Looking around, I felt incomprehensibly small in the grand view of the world surrounding me. It wasn't a diminishing type of small, but more a comforting kind that reminded me I wasn't in control. The weight of the challenges in this world weren't mine to carry.
There is something infinite about God. Whether standing on a paddleboard in the intercoastal marsh, looking out over a mountain range, or even seeing how He has worked through the hardest of trials. When we stand in His presence, fully disconnected and alone, His goodness brings our souls a sense of peace that is hard to explain. Sometimes we are desperately aware of the need, and other times, we may be trying to manage on our own, but if you have experienced this feeling of awe and peace, you understand the words of today's verses.
Taking time to unplug and fix our eyes not on the constant demands of our day-to-day lives but His goodness allows us to get a glimpse, a very, very small glimpse, of what is to come. Our world is broken and messy. We long for peace. We long for rest. We can try to ease our circumstances, strive to get things in order, and even build systems that may provide some comfort. But all our attempts will eventually fall short. We only find the life we long for when we set our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen and eternal. We must find ways to see our infinite God and His work of redemption all around us.
With the demands of three little kids, work, friends, neighbors, and more, it is easy to think I will wait to paddle board until all of that slows down. It is easy to believe it isn't something I can fit in these days. But the truth is, I need to carve out time to experience Him truly. I need to remind myself that I am not in control. I must be reminded that the world's weight was never mine to bear. I must take time to be inwardly renewed and remember His promises which are unseen and eternal.
Reflection
Where do you most feel at rest in the presence of God?
What regular rhythms are in place to provide space to see God?
Prayer
God, thank you for life. Thank you for the sweet glimpses of what You have promised that are available when I slow down to look. Help me remember that I am not in control, that is Your weight to bear. Help me fix my eyes on You Lord. Amen.
Katie Robinson, Port City Kids’ Home Coordinator, wrote today’s devotional.