The Lord gave me this picture of hot air balloons these past 2 months while in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. I love hot air balloons! They are beautiful and I have always dreamed about someday getting the chance to go in one at one of those hot air balloon festivals. Where the sky is filled with a bunch of them in their air. All different and unique in their own way. Both beautiful and dangerous at the same time but when all together filling the sky is a magical sight.
The picture the Lord gave me was an open filed filled with hot air balloons. All beginning to take off and go higher and higher into the air while one is still tethered to the ground and on it attached to the basket are weighted sand bags that I keep putting on it, each varying in size and weight. I watch and long to let go and take off like the rest and reach the height and weightlessness of the others but I am stuck. I’m weighted down and tethered to the ground by the weight of others and myself that I knowingly and unknowingly pick up. I know what I have to do but the comfort and familiarity of the ground is something that I am used to and have a hard time letting go vs. the unknown.
With all this, my goal and challenge from this point on is to release all the weight and be able to be lifted high and enjoy the weightlessness the Lord has for me.
So… This is what I learned and am actively doing to move forward practically =)
- Releasing past weight
- If I’m carrying weight from past hurt, that is weight to give to the Lord. I have a new identity as His precious child!
- The Lord promises in Psalm 147:3: “He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.” – AMEN!
- If I’m hurting from past wounds, I have to cry out to Him with my whole heart, knowing that He is the only one with the power to heal hearts, my heart.
- Release present weight
- In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus gives us an invitation:
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me. For I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
- If I feel burdened, then I qualify for this promise! Jesus says, “Come to me.”
- Am I coming to Jesus everyday through my prayers and fellowship with Him? Am I seeking His wisdom in the problems I face so I know which responsibilities are mine and which are not?
- When I take Jesus’ yoke upon myself, that means that I am joined with Him, walking together with Him. He is built to carry the heavier burden; I am not.
- Seeing Him rightly in my relationship with Him is the only way that I can get that weight off myself and find rest for my soul.
- Release the weight of sin, un forgiveness and destructive habits.
- Hebrews 12:1 exhorts us:
“Therefore, since we are encompassed with such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
- Can you imagine running a race with a 100-pound weight strapped to your back?
- Sin, un forgiveness and destructive habits are all heavy weights!
- Since we need endurance to finish this life’s race, God’s Word says that we need to lay aside every weight that impacts our ability to finish well in Him.
- Let us remember that we are just moving through this life. We have eternal life in Christ and our purpose is to glorify Him.
- We are kingdom citizens, created for a kingdom purpose.
- Keep weight off with the garment of praise.
- Isaiah 61:3 says that the Lord’s glory is:
“to preserve those who mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.”
- Why does He do this? He does these things so that you and I can be called a tree of righteousness, His planting so that He is glorified!
- So we need to put on our garment of praise to keep unnecessary weight off.
- While Jesus did not promise that we would have a trouble-free life, He did promise that He has overcome the world. We can overcome too, when we release the weight of the world. Jesus gained the victory and so can we!
