Bricks


            I know it has been a while since I have written for this blog. However, I try to write as I am led by God and to be frank; I have not felt so led until now. So, what has he finally placed on my heart? Bricks.

            We have had a stack of about 100 bricks (still have them) on our property for 23 years. When our daughters were younger and Don felt that they had been slacking around the house, whining or complaining too much and sometimes for no reason at all; he would have the girls move the pile of bricks. It wasn’t that the bricks needed to be moved, our children did. They can chuckle about it now; it is even a fond memory. That pile of bricks moved from the side of our house to the side of the studio a multitude of times over the years.

            Lately, I have been thinking about those bricks a lot. I see the bricks as a metaphor for burdens. We all have burdens that we bear and ways of dealing with our burdens. If I were to give you a brick to carry, at first you would notice the extra weight but after some time you would no longer notice the weight of the brick. You would develop stronger muscle and it would become routine for you. Or you might whine about this new burden and drag it behind you hitting other people along the path, making yourself and everyone around you miserable.

 That is how life can be too. Our burdens can make us stronger and build our character or they can weaken us and make us miserable. The thing is; it is our choice. When God places things on your shoulders, he knows you can handle it, do you know you can handle it?  I’ve decided to keep a brick in my house as a reminder that whatever burdens I have, there are other people whose burdens are heavier than mine. If God thinks I can handle it (with his help of course) who am I to argue? So, maybe the next time I want to throw myself a pity party, I’ll just carry that brick around for a while.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”1 Corinthians 10:13 (Think burden in place of temptation.)

 
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