Sunday, August 18, 2013

No Free-Soloing

The day before yesterday, I blogged about taking Christ's yoke upon ourselves, sharing insights that I gained by listening to the teacher last week and by attempting to blog about it. However, there was one  insight that I learned last week that I didn't include in that blog post, and it loosely relates to this video.





We can't do it alone.

Last time I blogged about yokes, I suggested that we have two options: bear our own burdens ourselves, or bear a different burden with Jesus' help. The assumption was that bearing our own burdens ourselves was an option - that we'd have the strength and ability to do it without help. I figured that it'd be harder, but still possible. According to the analogy in this video, that may not be the case. And even if we can do it, it's not a good idea.

I don't think we can get through life successfully without some help from Jesus Christ. It's my guess that everyone who had what I would call a successful life did so with help from Jesus. Even those who don't believe in Him can get through life successfully by following some of His teachings (like do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and love thy neighbors as thyself), and receiving blessings as a result of that righteousness.

Essentially, we need Him. No matter what path we choose to take, we need God's help to follow it. Even those who have willfully chosen to be evil rely on their conscience, a gift from God, to distinguish right from wrong. Those who try to make their way through life by their own ability could still do nothing without the abilities God gave them. We already rely on God for the air we breathe and the food we eat. Why not rely on Him for the strength to overcome our trials as well?

Life is hard. Sometimes, it seems impossible. And maybe, on some levels, it is. But with God's help, we can overcome. With His help, we can do anything. Without Him, we can do nothing.

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