(June 10, 2022) Mama Lava again shares personally and deeply from her heart…

‘It’s the hard-knock life!’

I’m sure you’ve heard the sentiment, made famous by the popular Broadway musical Annie. It is relatable as it focuses on the difficulties of living…

• Empty belly life
• Rotten smelly life
• Full of sorrow life
• No tomorrow life ^{(Excerpted from the lyrics of It’s the Hard-Knock Life by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin)}

Hard knocks focus
I went to the store last night and found the price of eggs has tripled in the last couple of weeks. So much for inexpensive protein! Empty belly life? Not quite. But I briefly considered a chicken coop in my small space, which could make for a more rotten smelly life for sure!

Jokes aside, this world is full of tribulation, and it is easy to get focused on the hard knocks. But for God! His Son, our Saviour Jesus gave us great encouragement in John 16:33b: ‘In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.’

Have you noticed the lens through which you look at life can be changed dramatically by a few hard knocks? I have! My optimistic nature which typically notices blessings and beauty can flip on its pessimistic head and suddenly the struggles loom larger than anything else.

I was out walking a few weeks back and I was burdened by some hard knocks. My fur-baby had died (you can read about that here) and it was lonely to be on a walk without him. I had also received some pressing news about a loved one which weighed on me. I’m sure you know the feeling.

Heart-rocks focus!
I was in an area where my dog had loved to sniff around. My heart was heavy, my footsteps felt laboured and my eyes were downcast. God knew it and He met me there. We don’t have a God who says, ‘Eyes up! You know better. When you pull yourself together and look at me, I have something to show you.’

No, He gets in our line of sight and attracts our focus to Himself. From there, He lifts our heads! King David declared it to be so in Psalm 3:3, ‘But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts up my head.’

With my head hanging and my gaze downward, I saw this:

On that day, Jesus reminded me that hard-knocks are real, yes, but so are heart-rocks. In other words, the struggle is great, but He is greater.

I – you – can feel burdened but He is there, offering encouragement and aid as He promised in Matthew 11:28-30, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’

It’s the heart-rock life for us!
We walk through the hard knocks with a Saviour who loves us. He has promised perfection in heaven and, if we have accepted it, He is personally escorting us there. He keeps us going…

• Encouraging us when we’re down.
• Strengthening us when we’re weary, and
• Carrying us when we can’t muster another step.

Are your eyes open to the figurative, and maybe even literal, heart rocks our God places around you? He is love. Any token of Himself to which He draws our attention should remind us of His affection toward us.

When we start to dwell too much on the hard knocks of this broken world, may we refocus on the heart rocks He offers along the way!

Will you be on the watch for hearts from God? When you see one in the clouds, shadows, trees, rocks, or anywhere, snap a quick photo and share it! Be sure to link to the original Photo Challenge post so we can gather them all in one place.

Be blessed today, my friend. Time has proven there will always be hard-knocks in this world. What kinds of struggles are you facing? It would be my honour to pray for you.

Together, we can give our tribulations to the one who has overcome them. Because of Jesus, it’s the heart-rock life for us! May His joy and peace be with you.

________________________________________________
Mama Lava believes in making the big world a bit smaller through connection. Believing that everybody deserves to be wrapped in maternal love when they need it, she regularly shares encouragements… telling life experiences from an unapologetically Christian point of view the way she sees it, just as a mother does, via her link, Mama Lava’s Back Porch (A Dose of Maternal Love).
__________________________________________________