Spiritual Cockleburs!

What is stuck on you? Ever walked through a field and got cockleburs stuck in your socks and pant leg? There you are on a nice hike or stroll outdoors and then you start to feel a little irritation. As you continue more cockleburs continue to cling on and before long you have to stop and start pulling them off one by one. (Unless you want to continue your journey in pain and agony!) These prickly little burs that hook into your garments have to be dealt with one at a time and can be painful. Friends, as we traverse through our journey of life we each experience attacks, challenges, upsets and disappointments from many areas of our lives. These are like "spiritual cockleburs" on our walk with Christ. They each have to be dealt with individually so they don't slow us down or take us off course. What do I mean? Have you ever been around a person who is so miserable inside, that everything that comes out of their mouth is contaminated with negativity and hostility? What happened to them? I think that they may be covered in cockleburs and in so much pain that they have lost their joy of life and perspective! As believers in Christ our response should be compassion and love to these poor souls. After all they are hurting and need to be delivered! Let me state the obvious so no one gets confused...they are not literally covered with cockleburs, yet each legitimate hurt, disappointment and pain that is left unattended by God, remains hooked with its prickly bur into the person, and is literally keeping them in constant pain. How do we get these prickly burs off of us, so we can continue with joy down the straight and narrow path? We come humbly before our Good Shepherd who will deliver us and heal each area in our life. Let's read some Psalm 116 1- 9. "I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion 6 The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me. 7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. 8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
Thanks for letting me share tonight, God bless you! Randy Young