One Size Doesn't Fit All

I realized something today; it’s taken me almost 50 years.

I’ve been carrying a heavy load.

Call me hunchback. I’ve dragged a sackcloth bag of bricks that didn’t belong to me. Fear and insecurity have been my lamplight. I’ve let someone else’s distorted vision of me taint my own. It's even blurred my view of God. I've believed lies disguised as the truth. For decades. I’ve held onto shame others inflicted on me as if it were my own cross to bear. 

I was enmeshed. 

Caught in a web. 

Tangled. 

I’ve cried tears I was never meant to shed for another whose eyes remained dry. I’ve been climbing a mountain that wasn’t mine to climb. I’ve been running a marathon, that wasn’t mine to race. I’ve been passing out water to spectators along the way, yet no one has offered me a refreshing beverage. My shoes are muddy, my laces ragged and my socks torn. My feet are blistered and bruised like my heart. I’ve been waiting for a new pair of shoes, but the cobbler is AWOL. 

I’ve been standing in a frozen trench like a soldier in a grave, cold and forgotten, while taking the bullet for someone else. I am not bullet proof. I have no vest to guard my heart. I’ve been wounded and yet no stretchers await. I am lying on blades of glass and the shards cut deep. All is dark and silent. I’m just waiting for that last layer of dirt to bury me alive like quicksand.

But it won’t. You know why? Because I realized something today:

I am a child of God.

I can empty this backpack. I can quench my thirst. I can clasp another's hand.

By His stripes I can be healed.

He offers me a 21-gun salute. An honorable discharge. A purple heart.

He offers me freedom.

"It for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

Easter reminds me that I am not alone. Someone has gone before who carried a cross of shame that wasn't His to carry… He climbed a steep and rugged mountain that wasn't His to climb… He ran a grueling marathon, giving all He had to cross that finish line and claim victory for me.

I must never forget:

The stone has been rolled away.

He is my infantry.

It is He who stands in the trenches for me. It is He who lifts me out of the miry pit. It is He who sets my feet on solid ground. It is He who offers me life-giving water, so I will never thirst again. It is He who removes this heavy-laden backpack, squares my shoulders and says 'stand tall'.

It is who who fought the greatest battle of all and won.

It is He, my Lord and Savior, who holds in His hands a new pair of shoes.

Just my size.


CLICK TO HEAR SONG:  He's Alive

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high." Leviticus 26:13


"For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.' " Isaiah 41:13


"In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake." Isaiah 54:14-15

Posted in: Divine Lines,Encouragement,Karen