By Megan Blansit
Founder of The Beautiful Movement - a youth ministry for high school girls. For more information, visit The Beautiful Movement’s Facebook page, where I post the time, place, and activity for each month
Who remembers learning about the plagues as a child in Sunday school? If some of you don’t know or have forgotten, let me take you down memory lane. Exodus 8 talks about the plague of frogs that struck the Nile. Exodus 8:1-4 says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, “This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they will worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.”
Lets fast forward through the story, Pharaoh refused and frogs have plagued the land. Then Moses asks Pharaoh when he would like the frogs gone and in verse 10, Pharaoh responds with, “Tomorrow.” WAS HE CRAZY?! Who would want to live another minute, much less hours, with frogs climbing over everything? Lets be real, the frogs were even in their bed, folks (verse 3.)
Lets think about that word, “tomorrow.” How often do we say we will eat better, “tomorrow.” I know I am guilty. Or what about, I will be nicer to my coworker, “tomorrow.” Or, “I will work harder on my school work, “tomorrow.” The list could go on and on and on! Lets be honest, how often does that “tomorrow” ever come? Maybe you don’t justify your today by saying “tomorrow” but carry things INTO tomorrow. For example, bitterness, fear, unforgiveness, insecurity, depression, etc. I am a visual person, so I like to think of it as if we are all carrying a backpack filled with things. We are all carrying different things, but some of the things we carry can be weighing us down. And friend, Jesus died so that we can have freedom TODAY.
I want to jump to another childhood Sunday school story, David and Goliath. In 1 Samuel, David stepped out in complete faith when he fought (and defeated) Goliath. Can I remind you that David was around the age of 14 and when compared to others around him, he was under-qualified. David could have easily been overwhelmed with fear. I mean, who wouldn’t when facing a giant with a stone? But he trusted God; he had faith in God. What stands out to me is that David had to do something first- he had to pick up a stone and then throw it! Sometimes we have to let go of something before we can see something great happen. What if David was like, “Well, maybe I could fight him TOMORROW, not today, God.” I believe David could have missed out on a huge accomplishment had he of said “tomorrow.”
God can use each of us in a mighty way, but if we are carrying around a bunch of “frogs” it may not be as easy. David could have been carrying around (a frog of) fear, and because of that, he may have missed out on killing Goliath. Just like David, sometimes we have to fight in the spiritual realm. As christians, we are to wake up each day to put on the armor of God. I have by no means mastered this, and have carried many unnecessary “frogs” around myself. The awesome thing though, is that when I have reached the point of exhaustion from the “heavy load,” as well as put my pride aside, Christ intervenes. Besides, He never intended on us to carry fear, bitterness, depression, etc. He took all that on the cross for us. He is just simply waiting on us to want him. He is a gentleman, He will never come where He is not invited.
So, friend, my challenge to you this week is to examine what you are carrying today. Are there things you need to let go of in order to experience complete freedom in Christ? It may not even be a fear or depression issue that you’re carrying around, maybe its bad music or a bad group of friends, etc. Despite the situation you are in, just like God was bigger than Goliath, He is bigger than anything you are facing. The Bible says He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8.) Friend, please don’t keep carrying around things that Christ carried on the cross. If you feel insecure, He wants to be your security. If you feel guilty, He wants to bring forgiveness. If you are depressed, He wants to be your joy. If you are suicidal, He wants to be your life. Whatever you need… He can be that. He’s a good, good father.
