Pressing on

Life can be heavy. Each step can be a struggle. Things pile on. Anxieties about parents, children, spouses (spice?). Fears about health – your own or a loved one’s. Finance. Pension. Nursery fees. Job security. 

Jesus invites us to come to him and lay all that stuff at his feet, and he will help us carry it. Then it feels light. Then you feel light.

Such a lovely thought. So hard to do. But this morning I read Paul’s words to the Philippians two millennia ago. ‘Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race...’

I reckon I’ve done a bit over two thirds of my race. I’m in my last trimester. Suddenly I feel unburdened. I feel as if I’ve been set free to run that final bit of the race, trusting God to carry the ‘stuff’ which weighs me down, focused on the goal: to live a life which demonstrates Jesus and his love. And the freedom from fear that is ours in him.

The changes that are afoot in terms of people moving away offer opportunities for new relationships. 

Life is a blessing. It is a gift. I am an American and so yes, I am slipping into the season of thankfulness. But actually, it’s the tune I should always hum as I go through my every day, pressing on, forgetting the failures and yes, even the triumphs, so I don’t get bogged down in navel-gazing but keep on moving forward.

God bless your day.