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Lighten the Load

Revelation 1:9
“I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”

As I read this verse, at first I was entirely confused. However, when I saw the word companion, I thought about our class, IGNITE class 14. As individuals, we can only bear our burden on our own for so long before it becomes too heavy, in which God has given us brothers and sisters for us to bear our burdens with. Without these companions, how would any of us have the strength to carry on? Of course, the Lord gives us His strength in our time of need to persevere, but encouragement from the ones closest to us is always a special blessing. As Pastor Jordan said, sometimes all we need to know is that someone has been before where we find ourselves now. To have someone say to us, “I have been there before, and I know it is hard, it is so hard. But, we are going to get through this together because not only do I have your back, but the Lord does too, because He had mine. Can I pray for you?” Not only does this result in such an uplift in spirits, but this also has the ability to bring people closer. Recently, I have been wanting to go back home. There is nothing more comforting than falling back into what is familiar. When situations become uncomfortable, I shut down, feeling as though the entire room is judging me because that is all I have ever known. I have the current mind set that if I hurt you first, you cannot hurt me. Not only is this not the case, but because I have resorted to this in nearly every situation, it has now become habit. I now have an unhealthy motive to hurt almost everyone I meet because I cannot stand the idea of becoming any more damaged than I already am. I figure it is easier to just be alone than to be surprised when someone who I thought I could trust betrays me. However, through learning Christ’s love, I can learn to how love others the way He has loved me. It is only through unity that we may be a team, and I want to be a part of that team because know that I cannot do this alone and neither can anyone else.

Application
Today, I will pray before I speak when I feel like spitting out garbage that I know might harm someone.

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