Last week I had the opportunity to serve as a leader for a youth camp in Tennessee. I had a great time working with the kids there, and we even had many heart-to-heart talks during the week. Throughout my time there, numerous themes were brought up. We talked about the direction of our hearts, the temptations we face, and the boundaries we need. We played a ton of games throughout the week and even tried a new one. Have you seen this video?

We decided to do this with the group as a game. We had one watermelon, and the team who placed the last rubber band on it won. Needless to say, it was both suspenseful and a little messy.

Kind of like our lives.

We all have struggles and giants that we face. It’s constricting for our lives. They can tighten around us causing us not to breathe. They can give us anxiety, fear, regret, and many other things that are detrimental to our lives. Sometimes we decide just to live with these things. We think it’s okay to keep them around because 1. everything else in our lives is okay and 2. we have tried to defeat them, but they always come back.

Do we realize how terrible that is though? When we live our lives being comfortable with something that is not good for us, we are essentially saying that our God isn’t big enough to fix it. He can forgive all of my other sins, but this one thing is just too tough for Him. It’s an awful way to think and live.

Eventually, we will not be able to take it anymore. Like the watermelon, it only takes one more band to pop. The strain will get harder, and that little problem can grow into something slow-motion explosion worthy.

I have been reading and dwelling on this topic for a week or so, and I expect to expand on this. In the meantime, I will end on this note:

Your giants are big, and they are crushing you. Sooner or later it will pop you. You don’t have to carry it alone though. You serve a God that is big enough to forgive and throw it away. The weight can be lifted from your shoulders. The bands can be cut off. Your giants can be tackled.