Can a Burden Be a Stream in the Desert

Being burdened is being in a desert.  Or so I thought.  A burden can actually be the stream.  We just need to grow up first to realize that.

Being in a Desert.

I haven't been in a real desert.  But I've seen enough movies to know that it is dry and barren and dusty and lonely.  I've read enough about deserts to know that to be stranded in a desert is like having cancer when the only thing you have going for you is hope. 

Being burdened can leave us dry and lonely.  When things get too rough and too tough, we feel like we are stranded in some abyss and only a miracle can save us. 

I was never really one to believe so much in miracles.  Being burdened changed that. 

The Burden of Burdens.

It's stupid to think that some people are free of burdens.  Everybody has some burden to bear - at different degrees at different times. It's up to us to see it as a desert or a stream.

Funny that when I have insignificant burdens, I never really saw it as a stream.  We burden ourselves with traffic, with an insufferable boss, with the black sheep in the family.  We even burden ourselves with the noise the neighbor makes or how they put their garbage at your end of the fence.  We make our lives miserable in the process, living in a desert of dissatisfaction, burdening ourselves with the insignificant burdens.

Multiplying the Burdens

The insignificant burdens never really made us grow up.  We learn to manage the traffic, leave the insufferable boss and avoid the black sheep.  We make as much noise as the neighbor and put our garbage on his side of the fence.  We think we've won this way.  Only, we didn't.  We just multiplied the misery.

The Burden is Not Ours.

I had to go through the most harrowing burdens to realize that I can only do so much.  I can't do it.  I am powerless.  I had to give it all up to a Higher Being whose power is big enough.  He had turned my burdens into learning experiences, a flowing stream in what used to be a depressing desert. 

I am experiencing miracles.  Everyday.  Because the burdens are not mine to bear.  Not anymore.

God told me "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden". (Matthew 11:28).  I did.  And he gave me rest.

You'll Never Know What You'll Get From a Ferris Wheel Ride

You'll Never Know What You'll Get From a Ferris Wheel Ride

I have acrophobia.  Well, sort of.  I don't think it's that serious. I can still go up a building, cross a high bridge, climb a mountain, get on a plane.  Just don't ask me to look down.  

Imagine how I felt when the kids asked me-no, pushed me-to ride this ferris wheel.

It's "117 meter tall and one of the tallest sight-seeing platforms in Tokyo" (source:http://japan.apike.ca/japan_tokyo_kasairinkai_park.html).

It looked menacing enough from way below.

But there were enough people riding it to show that it's safe.  And fun. I also know, for a fact, that the Japanese are one of the most safety-conscious people in the world.  Still, I spent a few endless (for the kids) minutes deliberating whether I should dare it or sit it out.  Maybe I can just go fish-watching?

I dared!  And what was supposed to be scary turned out to be not just fun.  My 117-meters-ferris-wheel-ride reminded me of valuable life lessons I wouldn't have realized (again) had I opted to sit (or lie) on one of the 'safe' benches in the park. 

WE SHOULD LISTEN TO KIDS.  From time to time.  They are the most trusting creatures in the world. And how can we not trust them? They make suggestions without malice.  Not based on preconceived notions.  They have no fear because they have not yet been subjected to harsh realities.  Just look at them. 

They are the ones who know how to be truly happy!  No Fear!

FEAR IS AN ENEMY. Fear robs us of the opportunity to experience life as we should.  Fear has a way of immobilizing us.  We stay where we are because we are afraid of what could happen, of what we will have to give up.  Why are we letting the unknown cripple us when there is so much more to see and live for when we let go of our fear?  Had I stayed on safe ground and not venture into the unknown, I would not have seen the beauty of God's creation from a different perspective.  I would not have this story to tell.  Nor these pictures to share.

FAITH IS THE ANTIDOTE TO FEAR.  When we don't have faith, we fear.  I didn't want to hop on the monstrous wheel because I did not have faith.  I did not have faith in myself, acrophobic as I am.  I did not want to pay Y700 and die of embarrassment because I looked down while I was 383 feet up from the ground.

THE WRONG KIND OF FAITH.  I hopped into the ferris wheel after seeing lots of people hopping on the same wheel.  I decided to put my fate into the hands of the ferris wheel operators knowing that I can trust the Japanese when it comes to safety.  As the ferris wheel started its ascend, I felt a gentle nudging in my heart.  What kind of faith is that? These other people may have ridden for all the wrong reasons.  And the Japanese? They are good. No doubt about it.  Safety-conscious and one of the best cultures when it comes to problem solving.  They have even managed to control their floods. But the March 11 earthquake and tsunami have brought something undeniable into the forefront.  There are things that only God has the power to control.  By the time we reached the peak of the ferris wheel ride, I was already apologizing to God for putting my faith on other things and not on Him. Colossians 1:17 states "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."  What was there to fear?  He has sustained me all my life.  How can he not sustain me during a ferris wheel ride?

MY GOD WILL SUSTAIN ME. While the ferris wheel was on its way up, my hands were busy clutching the bars. My thoughts were full of "what if's" and "maybe's". My heart felt constricted. My head was feeling dizzy with doubts and fear. By the time, the Kasai ferris wheel started it's descent, another scripture started coming to mind. "...He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need." (Acts 17:25, NLT).   I freed my hands from the bars and I started taking pictures.  My heart suddenly felt light, my head giddy with expectations for what God has planned for the rest of my day. For the rest of my life.

I am still acrophobic.  But it will never be serious.  With God in my life, I can go up higher buildings, cross more bridges, climb higher mountains.  Who knows?  Maybe I can fly a plane someday.  I leave it all up to God.

finding a gift in a second hand gift

As I said, "Streams in the Desert" is a daily devotional by L.B. Cowman. It was first printed in 1998. I have the 2007 copy. This was given to me by a dear dear friend when I celebrated my nth bday! (Go ahead, waste your time doing your math!!!). It was a second hand gift. I know because my friend's dedication reads "a gift I must share with you - one of the very best devotional guide that really touched my life". And my friend was right. "Streams in the Desert" has touched my life - from Day 1 of the 366 devotionals. I don't even know how to begin sharing how I found countless of "streams", overflowing hope in the sometimes barren "desert" of our lives. I didn't find a single gift from this second hand gift. I found numerous, valuable, priceless gifts. And these gifts I want to share with you. I hope and pray you will find your own "streams", too.