Someone
once said, “An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is
dragging you back with difficulties, it means it’s going to launch you into
something great. So just focus, and keep aiming.”
There are so many downers in life that pull us
backwards such as: Financial
problems. Marital conflict. Health crisis. Loss of a loved one. Painful memories. Job loss.
Social struggles.
Depression. And, the list goes on
and on and on. Many seek to find
solutions that will enable them to cope better, but for some, the solution is
never the right one or best one. The
struggler continues to seek out one solution after another, but never seems to
get anywhere. Their “arrow” is pulled
back and stressed to the max. There is
no other direction to go but forward; but for some, there is anxiety about
letting go, fear of traveling through the unknown and uncertainty as to where
they will ultimately land.
Scripture says “Give all your worries and cares to
God, for he cares about you.” (1st Peter 5:7) and the Apostle Paul shared with
struggling Christians at Philippi “not to
be anxious about anything….” (Philippians
4:6) Trusting someone enough to give
his or her worries, cares and anxiety to is easier said than done. Letting go and allowing oneself to launch
takes courage, focus and vulnerability.
Yet, it is necessary to let go in order to experience freedom from the
difficulties of life.
Holidays like Christmas can be one
of the most painful, lonely, emotional and anxious times of the year for those
whose life has been stretched backwards to the max. Instead of Christmas being about being about
Jesus, it has become about everyone else but him. Families go into debt in order to give their
kids the latest gadgets. When Christmas
is all over and the tree and lights are taken down and the bill for all the
“must haves” comes in, it is a reminder of where you really are in life;
stretched as far backwards as possible.
Anxiety, pressure, worry, and depression become the normal emotions and
there seems to be no way out.
Now is the time that the stretched
out life is released. Now is the time
to focus on what is, rather than, what isn’t!
Now is the time to aim at what will bring about joy, peace and
hope. Now is the time to launch into the
arms of God and trust him enough to do what he does best, which is to provide
every child of his resources to survive.
Jesus said it best in Matthew 11, Are you tired? Worn out...Come to me. Get
away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real
rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced
rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep
company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
God never promised us an easy life, but he did
promise that he would never leave us nor forsake us. Keep company with the Father and ensure Jesus
is total Lord of your life and use the Spirit of God effectively so that life
when life difficulties happen, you will be able to soar through them with focus
and with accurate aim.
This year, the gifts are Christmas arrows. These arrows are those things that hurt,
cause grief, hinder joy or produce conflict. As each arrow is placed carefully
in the bow and pulled back as far as possible, ensure that you take aim at your
desired target in life and simply let go! May you finally be able to enjoy life
once again! Now is the time to launch
your Christmas arrows and trust that God will land you on your feet! Merry Christmas!
Remember, Be God Controlled!
Brian
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