Tug of War
Do you remember the game? Friends yelling. Your hands getting red and raw from pulling on the rope so hard. A winning team and a losing team.
I remember elementary school field days. A day set aside near the end of the school year. Time to celebrate accomplishments and the coming of summer. Field days were the best!
It’s funny how I can remember some of the details even now. How hot the weather was. Parents helping out. Good snacks - including “icees.” How competitive we were at that age. We wanted to be on the winning team. To feel stronger with our strength pulling the other team down.
Life can feel like a tug of war sometimes, can’t it? There are moments in which we feel strong enough to stand against our biggest battles. On other days we are immediately pulled down. Unable to stand for whatever reason. Sometimes we feel a tug of war in our relationships, even with those closest to us.
Words are exchanged, often with a tone or demeanor that was not intended. Some relationships tend to ebb and flow. We must be willing to learn how to communicate with each other. To extend a healthy boundary along with mercy, not only for the other person but for yourself.
Important decisions can often leave us feeling pulled in a million directions. Discerning what to do or what not to do often causes some angst. Some of my friends can tell you I even stress picking a place to eat! It drives me crazy sometimes to think about making decisions that could impact others. (Work in progress, can I get an Amen?!)
The good thing about life is that with each new day, we have another chance. Whatever tug of war we were experiencing the day before is done. It may still be very real but the exact moments, conversations, or actions cannot be undone. We don’t get a “do-over” we only get each moment once.
I’m thankful for the rest God provides to us. A chance to regroup and replenish our soul so we are ready for the next task at hand. That true rest comes from knowing Christ.
With Christ on our side, we are sure to come out victorious in any game of tug of war. It doesn’t mean we will always understand the how and why behind all that life brings. There will still be tough moments, difficult conversations, and deadlines to meet. With Christ, we can face the true renewal that our souls need.
May we be open to that rest today. May we come with open hearts and minds to the One who holds all things. May we be refreshed to embrace this precious life before us.
2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
