He Carries Me

Jesus understands.

"In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old." Isaiah 63:9

"My beloved is mine and I am his..." Song of Solomon 2:16

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities..." Hebrews 4:15

Are you tired? Have an illness you can't seem to shake? Weary mama? Frustrated dad? Look long and hard at the picture above. You are that lamb in Jesus' care. He so tenderly cares for you.

He knew that we would wonder
How a God who made the sun to shine,
Who made the sound of thunder
And set each planet in the sky,
Could ever know just how it felt
To hurt and sometimes even cry,
To often feel rejected,
Then be left to wonder why.

And so He came to us, 
He took on flesh and became a man;

And so He came to us, 
So we could know He would understand

Our every joy and grief, our pain and relief, 
Every heartache we go through--

Yes, Jesus came to us, 

So we could know--He knew!

He's a God who can be touched 
With the feelings and the burdens that we bear;

He said, If you come to Me, 
I will give you rest and take your cares!

He's reaching out to you right now, 
And He is listening when you call;

Cast your cares upon him, 
For He wants to take them all!

That's why He came to us, 
He took on flesh and became a man;

That's why He came to us, 
So we could know He would understand

Our every joy and grief, our pain and relief, 
Every heartache we go through--

Yes, Jesus came to us, 
So we could know--He knew!

~ words and music by Wayne Goodine

Don't give up. Don't give in to the enemy's whispers that you'll always be hurting. Don't listen when he tells you Jesus doesn't care. I know He cares. His heart is touched with my grief. When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Saviour cares!*

He carries me.

*Does Jesus Care, Frank E. Graeff, 1860-1919

Who or What?

Big difference.

When someone blows up at me, is my first reaction to defend myself or am I willing to step back and evaluate WHAT is right? How did I come across to that person (even if I didn't mean it)? If there is a possibility I left an impression other than what pleases God, will I take the high road and make an apology? If I wait for others to apologize to me, simply because I know I'm right, my relationships will suffer. Pride hurts relationships; humility builds them.

Do I console myself that I was "more right" than the other person? How does that communicate my care for them? Is that how Jesus would respond?

"When he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." I Peter 2:23

There is only one RIGHTEOUS JUDGE: God. I can't judge a situation perfectly and neither can the other person. If I commit myself to HIS safekeeping, I will let Him be the judge of my situation. When I know the Righteous Judge is on my case, I don't need to defend myself. I can trust in any situation, He will set it all straight.

"He shall bring forth thy righteousness as a light and thy judgement as the noonday." Psalm 37:6

Because of this, I can "rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him" and "fret not {myself} in any wise to do evil." Psalm 37:7

I can "cease from anger and forsake wrath." Psalm 37:8

Family life and church life will be much less complicated if I will simply let God be the Judge.