When Did it Get So Heavy

The Man in the Mirror | Chapters 15 | Time Management: Doing God’s Will | “The effective time manager finds time for all of the priorities God has for the Christian.” – Patrick M. Morley

scrip·ture | Luke 12:34 ³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

de·vo·tion | When I started my first job, I had purchased this stylish over the shoulder bags. It was great, because I didn’t have a ton to carry. I would have my small thermos filled with coffee, my Bible, and a couple of other papers letting me know where I needed to go on my first day on the job. As I continued on in my career, I noticed that I started carrying more and more to work and home everyday in my little bag. My little bag was starting to represent my life, I had more responsibility which meant a little bit bigger of a workload, as well as my Bible being buried by those extra little things I was carrying. Things were getting just a little to heavy for the bag, so I upgraded myself to one of those business backpacks. I started bringing a big thermos, my lunch, take home work, and at the bottom, my Bible remained. For a long time, the backpack worked. I was able to bring all of what I needed, and I was able to carry its weight without it being too much of a burden. After a while, I slowly started adding more and more to my business backpack. On top of my large thermos, my travel mug, my notebooks, business papers, and my Bible, I started bringing home my laptop and other reading materials. My business backpack was just not doing it anymore, my daily load was becoming too heavy, so I upgraded to one of those pull behind business thingys (technical term). I sat and wondered, when did it get so heavy? I had created layer upon layer of things inside my pull behind. My pull behind had become as complicated to navigate as my life had. I had added so much to it, that I didn’t know where to start and in my case, one of the most important things had gotten buried at the bottom. My Bible had gotten buried by my large thermos, my travel mug, my work papers, my laptop, podcasts, and Stephen King novels.

In that moment of realization, I started thinking of my pull behind briefcase and how it related to my spiritual life. You see, when I was born, all I had was one thing in my sleek little bag to worry about, and that was God. My faith with God was so simple. I did not have a lot to focus on but God, but then my parents started throwing little things into my bag and life started getting a little heavier. As I continued to grow, as a teenager, I became even more independent. There were things I wanted to do, and carrying that load with a little bag wasn’t going to do it anymore. I upgraded to a backpack and started adding all of those personal things to it. I started adding sports, games, girls, etc, and my back pack continued getting heavier and heavier and God kept on getting buried. As I got older, I got married, had some kids, and got a career. My backpack was no longer going to work, I needed to get a pull behind briefcase to carry the burdens I added to my life. Not only was I taking care of my family, kids, and work, I started burying God with novels, podcasts, technical work documents, and Facebook. At some point I asked myself, when did life become so heavy and why has it gotten so complicated? I realized that I needed to start pulling things out of my pull behind briefcase and prioritize those things that had gotten buried. I needed to find out what I was doing to complicate my life and I identify what was keeping me away from doing what God had created me for.

Take some time and be honest with yourself, how heavy has your pull behind briefcase become. What have you added to it that has you saying things like, “I don’t have time to read the Bible?”. When you unzip your bag, what do you see at the top? Start identifying those things that you can remove and will allow you to bring God to the top.

prayer | LORD, when did life become so heavy? I really can’t believe I have spent so much time burying you with things that took me further and further away from You. Forgive me for that selfishness LORD. I pray LORD that You help me to sacrificially cut out those things in my backpack that take me away from spending time with You in Your Word and prayer. Give me strength LORD to prioritize You to the top and help me to lessen the burden I have made for myself. Amen

Daily Alone Time with God |

Chapter of the Week | Proverbs 16

Mon·day | Matthew 6:33 ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Tues·day | Romans 12:2 ²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Wednes·day | 2 Timothy 2:22 ²²So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Thurs·day | Philippians 3:13-14 ¹³Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Fri·day | 1 Peter 2:21 ²¹To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.