What work do we need to put in for God to carry us the rest of the way?
The last couple days my twins have insisted I pick them up and swing them around while we wait for school to open. I hadn’t lifted them up in so long, I wasn’t sure I actually could lift them at all. The first couple tries didn’t go so well. They just stood stick straight waiting for me to lift them and then let their legs hang like dead weight when I did. “If you want me to carry you boys, you have to do some of the work!” I said.
Eventually, they realized they had to stoop down a little, jump and then wrap their arms around my neck and their legs around my waist to stay up. Once they did, carrying them was easy. Ironically, they learned this lesson just yesterday but already had to relearn it this morning when they insisted I carry them again.
I’m guessing this morning we all have many requests for God. I know I find myself praying “can You just get this pandemic over with” almost daily. It’s like I want God to snap fingers and make everything bad just go away. How often do I stand stick straight and ask God to do all the work to lift me up? How often when God does, am I no more than just dead weight hoping God can carry it all for me? How often are you?
This morning my prayer is for the grace to do our part in service of all the prayers we constantly place at God’s feet. May God show us what we need to do and may we have the courage to bend our knees and jump right in. And may whatever actions we take always be on the side of love.
