Unshackled Echo ~ April 16, 2019 ~ Step Away From The Scales

From the outside looking it always seems unfair, in one direction or the other. The scales never quite seem to balance between our life and others. We look at someone and think or feel, well, at least I'm not that poor soul or at least I'm better off than they are. Then we look at another and have to brace ourselves against waves of envy and self pity as everything we've always wanted falls into their lap. Wow, he has the career I dreamed of, look at her wonderful family, etc. But the truth is that for all we know, that first poor soul is so much better off than we are that we would be ashamed if we only knew the depths of their relationship with God, despite not being able to walk, or being broke or whatever external thing made us think we're better off. That second person may have the idyllic life on the outside and be more hurting and miserable within than we have ever experienced.

Maybe not. Maybe the first person really is far worse off than we are, and maybe that second person has been blessed beyond belief. The thing is that either way, we can never really know. We need to be willing to extend a hand in love to the broken and wounded and to rejoice in love with those who have been blessed. And we need to be willing to let the Holy Spirit help us determine which is which.

Leah is waiting on a definitive diagnosis that will come after a spinal tap, but from the scans and tests done so far it appears that she has MS. Either way, she definitely has many symptoms of this disease. She, like, many who suffer with MS and other diseases like it, often look fine on the outside. They hear things like you look good today, or you look like you're feeling better, and they do look that way. But under that appearance is pain and weakness that is nearly unbearable. Some people look like they have the perfect job, the perfect home, the perfect life, but if you only knew their heart you would see pain, fear, and desperation. We need to be able to take our cue from the Spirit to be able to reach out in compassion to those our instincts and senses would tell us to rejoice over.

At the same time, there are those we would pity and reach out in compassion towards who could teach us much about joy, peace and love and are far better off than we. We simply can not compare our insides to someone else's outsides and get any kind of accuracy, for better or worse. You can't always tell the poor souls from the blessed based on appearance or circumstances. Today let us allow the Holy Spirit to guide our reactions to others and let us let go of envy and pride. If we look at someone else, let it never be in judgement but merely to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Otherwise let us look within only and see where we need to go and what we need to do to get closer to Him and not worry about how our life measure's up against another's.

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

March 14, 2016.

This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.