{"id":2544,"date":"2020-09-26T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-26T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shop.honestreflections.net\/?p=2544"},"modified":"2020-09-16T12:53:38","modified_gmt":"2020-09-16T17:53:38","slug":"how-high-is-the-water-level-in-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2020\/09\/26\/how-high-is-the-water-level-in-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"HOW HIGH IS THE WATER LEVEL IN YOUR LIFE?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cSave me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.\u201d (Psalm 69:1 NIV)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life\u2019s overwhelming moments can feel like water up to the neck.  You\u2019re breathing, hanging on, head bobbing above the water, but it\u2019s hard.  Battling day in and day out is exhausting.  Daily chores are monotonous.  On and on life goes.  Each day a little harder to fight.  Hope seems long lost, but is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finishing a tennis lesson recently, a young mother told me she had no hope.   She had just witnessed her child overcome a massive emotional obstacle minutes before on the court.  Yet she was hopeless.  What I said to her was, \u201cHope is in the moment.\u201d  We had experienced hope moments ago when the breakthrough occurred.  Patience, perseverance, faith, love all worked together to produce hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treading water is sustainable.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the water level is up to your neck, more than likely, you\u2019re treading water.  When someone treads water, beneath the surface is what matters.  Typically, your arms form a \u201cT\u201d with the body.  For sustainability, legs are moving in a slow rhythm, like riding a bike.  Not too fast, not too slow, at a comfortable pace. What you can\u2019t see keeps you floating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s what people can\u2019t see. Jesus formed a \u201cT\u201d with His body for us on the Cross. Time spent seeking Him is what keeps you afloat.  Letting go is lifting up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. <\/em> <\/em><\/strong>Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. <\/em> <\/em><\/strong>For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.\u201d (<\/em>Matthew 11:28-30 NIV<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forgive me if I overuse this verse.  People often do.  But there\u2019s a reason to refer to this one often; it gives hope.  When we are tired and burdened, we want to rest.  Jesus provides us with rest when we give Him our worries, our fears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding a physical way to give your burdens to Jesus helps.  For me journaling allows me to rid myself of my fears.  Each morning, after I read my Bible, I handwrite a note to God.  Paul\u2019s word guides my process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. <\/em> <\/em><\/strong>And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.\u201d (Phil. 4:6-7 NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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