Cumbersome

I was having a bit of a struggle this morning while sitting in our Tuesday prayer meeting with our intercessors and staff. My mind seemed to be racing a hundred miles an hour as I was thinking of five "irons" that I had in the proverbial "fire."

WikiAnswers.com says that the "term 'too many irons in the fire' refers to blacksmithing, wherein a smith could lose track or make his work cumbersome if he placed too many irons in the fire."

Know the feeling, don't we?

Sometimes it's hard to keep track of what's going on in our sphere of life, when all we want to do is have tunnel vision and keep our eyes on one specific and perhaps comfortable prize. God enters in and moves us outside of our comfort zone, challenging in several areas on several fronts to see how we'll respond. On an intellectual and theological level, I know that He already knows how we'll respond. But on an emotional level we are left to wonder, "What gives here?"

What gives is that sometimes life is "cumbersome."

I'll tell you what else 'gives.' It means that something amazing will happen in the days ahead and this test we're going through is a pop quiz to help us ace a mid term or final exam. Sometimes we don't pass the first time...but other opportunities to do better lie ahead in the future - if we don't give up. Ah yes, that's what Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not grow weary in doing good because we will reap a harvest if we don't give up."

I'm tired and weary tonight; tomorrow is a day off - well, sorta. Okay, not really. I'll be working on Sunday. When I rise I'll be headed to a small group meeting with some of the greatest men in the world. I'm so pumped about a new day, and maybe, just maybe I'll get one or more of those irons into a bucket of cold water...and pass another test.

With God's help...all things are possible...and a whole lot less cumbersome.