I sit here soaking up God’s presence on my much-needed sabbath with my dear friend Landry. If you read my last blog post you know that I have been blessed with days filled with amazing teachings and discipling. Today I want to pay homage to my amazing brothers and sisters that I get to call my family. I would not be able to be on this journey without them. This kind of support can be traced back to long ago like in Exodus 17 during the Isrealites’ battle with the Amalekites.
Moses goes with his friends and fellow leaders Aaron and Hurr to the top of a hill overlooking the battle and raises his staff that the Lord had previously used to part the Red Sea. When he raised his staff Israel prevailed and when he lowered it Israel was under defeat. After holding it up for hours Moses’ hands eventually “grew weary” (Exodus 17:12). So what did his friends do? They did not let his hands drop or lose feeling, “they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it while Aaron and Hur held up his hands” (Exodus 17:12). Ultimately, Israel ended up being victorious because of Moses and his staff, yet he would not have succeeded without the help of his brothers.
God could have lifted the weight off of Moses’ shoulders or given him the strength to do this alone, but he intentionally did not. I find that when God does not do something it is because in the lack of action our faith grows, and so does our reliance on our brothers and sisters, thereby expanding the kingdom of heaven. The weight of Moses’ staff did not change, just the amount of people carrying it; when held up by others the weight he carried was lighter. While reading this, I am reminded of the fact that this refining process the Lord has been putting me through should feel heavy and unbearable because I am essentially forgiving and leaving myself of my past and understanding sanctification. Yet the reason I feel so light here is that I am not going through the process alone. I am not carrying the weight by myself anymore. They help me to carry my burdens. Sometimes this might mean physically carrying my big pack when it gets too heavy in the airport or it means speaking truth over me or it might mean simply sitting with me when I am feeling down.
Just as Moses could not hold the weight of the staff alone, we cannot hold the weight of the world alone. With community, we are able to carry the heaviness of our souls because it becomes shared. This passage and doing life in Gainesville, Georgia has made me come to one conclusion – we are not made to be in isolation and we especially are not meant to carry our burdens in isolation. Not only will we grow weak, but it can actually cause the downfall of others or ourselves. We must go into battle every day with an army, not alone. My squad has quite literally lightened the load. I am so encouraged daily and I cannot wait to experience these next 8 months surrounded by an army, and confident in my victory.
