A Blessing, Not a Burden

Last updated on: November 1, 2018 at 7:00 am by Jimmy Evans

A Blessing, Not a Burden 2018-10-02T06:52:10-06:00 Jimmy Evans

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(Adapted from Jimmy’s newest book, When Life Hurts)

I grew up with a lot of shame and guilt. It came from a number of humiliating experiences in my childhood and early adulthood, and it made me feel like a burden to others. That feeling caused me to become self-dependent—too self-dependent.

It was the kind of dependence that came from pride rather than humility, and it impacted my life deeply. Many of the struggles Karen and I experienced early in our marriage came from this self-dependence.

Then one morning, as I was reading Scripture, the Holy Spirit spoke as clear a message to me as I’ve ever received: “You are not a burden; you are a blessing.”

At that moment, those words pierced my innermost being. I felt an instant inner healing in my spirit. A flood of emotions welled up inside me. Until then I had never quite understood the depth of my pain or the source of those wounds, but finally I felt free.

Why? Because suddenly I saw myself from God’s perspective rather than my own. I was a blessing, not a burden.

When you feel like you’re a burden to others—or to God—you’re incapable of seeing Him as the loving, generous Father He is. You don’t embrace your inheritance as a child of the King. You feel more like a servant than a son or daughter.

I am a child of the King…and so are you.

I am a blessing…and so are you.

I am not a burden…and neither are you.

God wants you to know that your struggles are not hidden from His eyes, and that your feelings of fear, insecurity, or shame did not originate with Him. Your sins are not too great for Him to handle. Your wounds are not beyond His ability to heal.

He understands your struggles and He’s waiting to set you free.

Do you struggle to trust God or others? Do you struggle with forgiveness? Do you struggle with failure or shame?

These feelings keep us from building truly deep and meaningful relationships with others. They cause our marriages to suffer and our careers to falter. Our emotions will run high and our wounds will remain deep.

God longs to free you from these damaging inner messages, because they don’t come from Him. He is not the author of your shame. He wants you to take that first step toward freedom.

How? By acknowledging your chains and recognizing who put them there in the first place: The Enemy. Satan took your accumulated wounds and turned them into a mountain of shame and doubt. Only God can raze that mountain.

You are loved, not despised.

You are a blessing, not a curse.

You are a child of the King.

Those are the words He is saying to you. Are you listening?

When Life Hurts

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