“It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. ¹⁸ And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.” Joshua 24:17-18

As I read Joshua Chapter 24 and how the LORD, through Joshua, spelled out deliberately all that He has done for them, it made me think of the recount God may give of my life…

“Sarah, I gave you breath, your parents, your siblings, that scar on your knee. I saved your neck from being broken when you did that dumb stunt in the barn and comforted you with kind nurses when you were hospitalized from appendicitis. I protected you from that boy your parents didn’t approve of, I gave you that internship that helped you launch your career. I brought you out of credit card debt, gave you a husband and two healthy, beautiful smart daughters. I drew you into fellowship with other believers, I orchestrated that conversation with your mother-in-law that ultimately sent you searching after Me. I gave you that strong-willed personality, your passions, your drive, your heart for people.”

I can go on and on, but here’s my point. It’s all His. Everything I have, everything I am, all that I have been through – good and bad – He has had a hand in it. He disciplines me because he loves me and He reminds me that I’m not created to be prideful, self-reliant, self-serving or arrogant. He keeps me on the right path.

So today I’m praising God for my life, and I have surrendered it to Him. But when the Isrealities made that profession, here is verse 19-20, ^“Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

Remarkably, here is their response in verse 21-22, “But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”

We are witnesses, all of us who are believers… Live out today, our commitment and decision to serve the Lord.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

It’s been busy the last couple of months. Earlier this year we bought a house in the country. Our daughters have a love for horses so we wanted enough land for pasture and for the last 13 years we have lived with a highway in our backyard – we were ready to put city life behind us.

When moving day came we hired a couple of local guys to help us load our U-Haul with some of our heavier furniture. The day started with two men and about an hour into loading a third guy showed up. They spoke Spanish so I didn’t understand a word, but from the appearance and sound of their hissing laughter I suspected that guy #3 was an instigator; only later to confirm I was right.

There was this wooden horizontal filing cabinet located in my husband’s basement office. Near it was a pile of bricks that we used to secure the carpet atop the septic tank; an effort to dull the clinking sound when the pump would kick in to push water out. I remember that cabinet because I asked our moving guys to try it in every corner of my husbands new office, only for him to veto the decision of having it altogether. “Put that thing in the garage it’s junk,” he said, and those poor movers carried it (once again) out of the house and deposited onto the junk pile in the third stall of the garage.

Fast forward two months and it’s garbage day. As my husband and I went to pick up the cabinet and place it onto the truck, we struggled to lift it. I knew the cabinet was heavy, but I found that I wasn’t strong enough to help him. He opened the drawer to see if we could remove them and make the cabinet lighter when he found a brick right there in the middle of the empty drawer. Sure enough, Mr. Instigator was playing a joke on his friends and found humor in adding weight to the load. Some joke!

This brick reminded me of how I tend to “carry extra weight” in my life.  Weight that shows up in the form of guilt, worry, shame, anxiety, fear, fatigue, stress, pressure, deadlines, etc. Everyday brings it’s own “stuff” and what does the world do? Piles it on. Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t some funny joke. I’m the one who picks it up, takes it on and then goes to God with my “stuff” as if I expect him to fix it.

Well, he did.

Not only did He take it all, He gave it all – for me! For you! I love the verses in Matthew and am reminded that His burden is light. So I’m taking that brick off of my back and giving it to God; praising Him for giving me a better life.