Today’s Bread ~ The Balance Beam

2 Corinthians 5:17 – What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons.  They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone.  A new life has begun!

For over a year, my sweet son has sat on the side-lines while big sister Caitlyn tried one activity after another.  First gymnastics, then soccer; we did put both of them in karate for a short period of time, which was nothing short of a disaster.  My husband and I considered enrolling him in this or that, but with his low muscle tone and mild sensory processing issues, we thought it best to wait.

This past week, Nick got his chance to shine. 

His gymnastics class consists of five students; three boys and two girls.  There is a waiting area for the parents just outside the gym, so I, along with three mothers and a good-natured father, watched from the other side of the glass.

My heart filled with joy to see my son gleefully jumping on the trampoline, turning somersaults and running about.  Coordination is something we’ve been working on, so as he made his way toward the balance beam I held my breath.  I hope the coach helps him, I thought to myself, picturing the inevitable tumble.

Nick hopped up by himself, and made his way, one foot in front of the other.  Unable to contain myself, I jumped up out of my seat and ran up to the window.  “Way to go, Nick,” I hollered, waving frantically.  Nick turned to look over his shoulder, and down he fell.  I sheepishly backed up, blushing a rosy shade of red.

“He’s got low muscle tone,” I explained to the amused mothers.  “I really didn’t think he’d be able to do any of this.”

Now that Nick had seen me, he was set on seeking my approval.  He’d complete a task, turn and wave.  I saw the coach through the glass: “Eyes on me, buddy,” he’d say, turning my son’s face toward him.  “Eyes on me.”

As long as my son concentrated on the coach and his instructions, he did fine.  But the moment he turned and looked back, he stumbled and fell.

Don’t be distracted by that which you’ve left behind.

Galatians 6:15-16 – It doesn’t make any difference now whether we have been circumcised or not.  What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people.  May God’s mercy and peace be upon all those who live by this principle.  They are the new people of God.

I wonder about this tendency we have, this unwillingness to let go of past hurts and heartaches.  Our tendency to lug heavy baggage around with us everywhere we go.  We want to set it down.  We try to get rid of it.  But oftentimes it just pops up, like an over-excited mom at her son’s gymnastics class, banging on the glass at the most inopportune time.

What do you need to let go of?  Who has hurt you that you need to forgive?  What wounds do you have that need the Holy Spirit’s healing touch?  What is keeping you from striding confidently across the balance beam?

I was a Tri-delt during my years at the University of Kansas.  I left the campus at the end of my sophomore year with an extra 20 or 25 pounds on my five-foot-four frame.  I came back at the start of my junior scarcely weighing a buck.

I remember low-toned conversations screeching to a halt as I entered the room.  I remember feeling thirty sets of eyes on my plate as I walked to a table at dinner.  And I remember the anguish I felt as my three closest girlfriends slowly pulled away until we scarcely spoke. 

Did I blame them?

No.

Did it hurt?

Oh yes.

I gradually got my weight back up and my eating on track.  I left the sorority and surrounded myself with a new group of friends.  But my self-esteem had taken quite a blow. 

Eventually I realized that my friends simply didn’t know how to respond to someone going through my struggles.  Quite frankly, I can’t say for certain that my 21 year old self would’ve handled it much better, had the situation been reversed.  I recognized that I had attached far too much importance their opinion of me, and far too little on the only One that mattered.  Food and being thin had become my idols.  Nothing else, not even my health, mattered. 

I can share this with you without a trace or remorse or regret because of this: my past hurts and heartaches, my past mistakes, do not define me.  I refuse to let them distract me.  I am a new person in Christ, and I am stronger for having an uphill climb.

Isaiah 26:3 – You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You!  Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.

A professional athlete does not break concentration.  He doesn’t turn to see who is gaining on him, and the noise of the crowd does not fluster her.  Jesus beckons us to approach life the same way.

No one understands our hurts and heartaches better than our Savior.  He was betrayed by family and friends; backstabbed, reviled, scoffed at, rejected and persecuted.  He was beaten, broken, and left to die on a cross for sins He did not commit.  He died for your iniquities, and for the transgressions of those who’ve sinned against you.

What do you need to let go of?  The path God has chosen for is one of freedom, joy and peace.  If you keep your eyes on Christ and let go of your hurts and mistakes, you will not stumble.  If you struggle to forgive, ask God to help you.  If you’ve been abused, seek Christian counseling.  If you’ve made mistakes, accept the forgiveness that He offers you.  Don’t let pride mislead you into thinking that you are the one sinner in the vast expanse of time that Christ’s blood can’t cover.

Let go.  Stride confidently across the balance beam of life, and shine with the glory of Jesus.

Psalm 16:11 – You will show me the path of life.  In Your Presence is fullness of joy.  At Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. 

Psalm 37:23-24 – The steps of the godly (those who are made right with God through Christ) are directed by the LORD; He delights in every detail of their lives.  Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD holds them tightly by the hand.

Dear God, we thank You so much for the saving work on the cross.  By stretching out His arms and shedding His blood, Jesus has forever bridged the gap between You and man.  Thank You for forgiving our sins and healing our hurts.  God, we ask You to bring incidents to our minds where we are withholding forgiveness, and we also ask You to bring things to our mind that we need to let go of.  You tell us that You’ve thrown our transgressions into the sea, never to think of them again.  Please write that on our hearts and help us to live in that truth.  Sometimes the hardest people to forgive are ourselves, but we are called to forgive everyone, even ourselves, lest our prayers go unheard. Help us fully claim Your mercy and grace so that we might extend it.  Help us to focus on Jesus and define ourselves through Him, not through our past.  Help us to build our identity on the unshakeable foundation of Christ, so that when all is stripped away, we remain strong in You.  We love You so much, God.  Help us to love others the way You love us.  It is in the beautiful name of Christ Jesus that we pray.  Amen.