Tim and I are attending and enjoying the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento, CA. This year, unlike all other years we’ve attended, we have our Steinbeck Wines. I placed a bottle of Steinbeck Cabernet Sauvignon in my purse Monday night and walked four blocks to our dinner engagement. Tim placed a bottle of Cab in one coat pocket and a bottle of The Crash in the other and we walked three blocks to last night’s event. When we arrived at dinner Tim had forgotten that I had carried the load and ironically, last night I forgot that he was carrying the load. We walked the same speed, talked with great gusto about what we had seen and heard, and forgot about the other’s heavy load.

The weight of the load we carry gets heavier and more burdensome as we get better and better hiding it from those around us. I know the image I present is that of strength and energy and . . . As I said yesterday, I know what I carry and I know what God has brought me to release, let go of, lay at his feet, and confront. I know that I shouldn’t carry stuff and that I should trust God – I know it full well and I tell myself that I know what is right and question my motives and heart which becomes a burden on top of a burden. On good days I lay my burdens down and on days when I’m tired or hurting or overwhelmed I fall into old comfortable habits of carrying my stuff. If that weren’t enough, Satan attacks with doubts and fears and worry and self pity. I begin believing I am the only one carrying burdens.

The Word of God:  For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  ⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  2 Corinthians 4:7-11

The Word of God, Christ Jesus, calls us to carry his death and his life in our body. As our knowledge and awe and perspective of his life in us develops, we are moved to identify our stuff and allow God to displace IT! with his life. The treasure of Christ I carry in this jar of clay fills me by his word and work. Christ’s life in me is not about my dedication and commitment to stop carrying my stuff in my body. Christ’s life in me is not about my work, it is about his work in me.

Monday night Tim and I ordered wine at dinner rather than drinking our Steinbeck Cab, so I picked up my purse and carried it back toward the hotel. A few minutes into our journey Tim said, “let me carry that for you.” I handed him my purse and he carried the load the remainder of the walk. We are called to wake up to the fact of life – everyone is burdened by stuff and they often carry IT! without even knowing it, just like us. Everyone faces temptations, everyone needs to journey into the mercy of Christ and allow him to help us identify and NEWK-IT! whatever IT! is that is the stuff we carry in our body.

We are called to dig into Christ’s word and work and beg him to shift our attention to the load he wants us to carry – his cross and resurrection in us. We need trusted friends to help us name the burdens and to guide us into placing those burdens on Christ. We need friends to pour Christ’s death and life into our clay pots, displacing the stuff we carry. NEWK-ing IT! takes courage, we need Christ to work that in us. We need to reach out in boldness to those around us who may be carrying a load alone. May God work this in us and through us. Blessings IN Christ, Cindy

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