If you’d like to join in the book club for Journeys of Faithfulness by Sarah Clarkson, feel free to join in at anytime. You can find the reading schedule for the 12 week book club at the end of this post, along with additional printables for each week.
Although Mary knew great joy in being the mother of Jesus, she most likely experienced moments of grief, pangs of the pain coming in the future, as she contemplated all that might happen with her son. Eventually there would be a sorrow that she alone could not handle. Her son would be taken from her ~ a sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
When she said ‘yes’ and willingly opened herself to being a part of the life of Christ, she may not have fully realized all that would result with her answer. Her obedience still caused her pain. Whispers about the child not being Joseph’s. Likely family strife as her family struggled to understand what was happening.
Can you even imagine all that Mary faced as she started her life as a mother to the Son of God? Hope lay in her arms, but she understood that there would also be a piercing in her soul {Luke 2:35}.
Even Mary, the mother of Jesus, was not exempt from sorrow or grief.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2
This week, the above passage was one that really resonated with me. In our day to day life, in the midst of the struggles and pain that we have, we are called to run the race before us – looking to Jesus. Did you catch this line “who for the joy that was set before him”?
Joy before him. He knew the suffering he would and MUST endure, the shame that would result, and yet he looked at is a JOY.
So often we get bogged down with the heaviness of our sorrow and burdens. We sling our ‘backpack’ weighted down with every possible thing we can carry and then try to run the race put in front of us.
Wouldn’t running be so much easier if we didn’t have anything to carry and could put it down at the feet of Jesus? He’s already carried the weight and the hindrances for us.
For me personally, I know that it often comes down to the issue of control. Laying it down means relinquishing any control that I may feel I have over a situation {good or bad} and allowing it to be placed in the capable hands of Someone who can handle it.
But it would make it so much easier to run, wouldn’t it?
How much faster would we be if we ran the race unhindered? Is there something that you are holding onto that you can release? Today, take 10 minutes to just sit in God’s presence and pour your sorrows and burdens out to him ~ and release them to Him!!
A Few Book Club Links
Be sure to download a copy of the journal pages to go along with the book. For those of you reading on a Kindle or reading with your daughters, these will come in handy! Each week, I’ll be sharing the printables for the next week, so check back weekly for updates. ~ Journeys of Faithfulness book club Facebook page – come share your thoughts during the week! ~ Download a few printables here:
- Binder Cover
- Book club reading schedule,
- Journal pages: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, and Week 12.
Link Up Your Posts!
If you are a participating in the book club and are blogging your thoughts, please link up your posts below! We’d love to stop by and see what God is revealing to you through each chapter.
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