"Oh Child Let Me Be Your Strength"

Hello sweet friends! For this post I am trying to keep it short and sweet and hope you are able to take away some encouragement from it!

I currently work as an after-school care provider for a school system. That means I have fun doing several various activities with little kids after school until their parents can pick them up. Everyday is a new adventure because you never really know what you’ll get based on how their day went. The other day the weather was extremely pretty, so I took my group of kindergartners outside in order to enjoy the outdoor playground and get some energy out. I sat down on a small park table that was sitting outside and suddenly I hear two of my little boys saying, “Ms. Ashley I bet I can break this stick with my bare hands!!” They then proceeded to start a competition to see which boy could break multiple sticks at once with only their hands. The boys quickly found out that the more sticks they collected the tougher it was to break them, and they quickly lost interest and ran off to play a different game.

I tell you this story because a lot of times those little boys are us. We often can pick up more “sticks” than we can handle on our own. We stress out too much over the things that God is already taking care of for us. As humans we have a subconscious belief that we have it all together and we can handle every problem on our own. Well the harsh reality is that we can’t. We can’t take all the stress, hurt, and heartbreak that this life brings on our own. We need a companion to help lighten our load and we need our Savior to be the one to lift it from our shoulders.

So, if you are recently feeling like you are collecting too many “sticks” and trying to break them on your own just simply rest in the arms of the Father. I want to remind you of a verse in Matthew 11:28-30. It states “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will give rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” I encourage you to lean into Christ with child like faith and allow him to lift your shoulders of the heavy burdens that you carry.

Much Love,

Ash