Let 'Em Fly

Anyone who knows me well knows that this time each year the demands of my job pretty much eclipse the rest of my life. Any semblance of a social life, regular (or even irregular) workouts, clean bathrooms, and yes, blog posts all fall by the wayside as “the little marketing department that could” works long hours to meet our biggest print deadline of the year.

But I have a few minutes to spare now, and it seems only thoughtful to let my friends and regular readers know I’m still alive, if not kickin’. Plus, I’ve had a word rolling around in my head for two days now and I think I have to share it to get any peace. So here it is: cast.

Driving home last night I was listening to WCQR and caught the end of a live concert, part of Sparrow Records’ “New Faces, New Music” tour. I enjoyed the few songs I heard, but what really got my attention was a young artist who shared a little of her witness between songs. And that’s where the word “cast” comes in.

She said she’d never really thought about the meaning of the word until recently, when she looked it up and discovered it means to throw something forcefully and with purpose, hurling it away from yourself. As she pointed out, knowing the true definition gives this scripture a little more depth:

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. ~ Psalm 55:22 (NIV)

Too often we give our burdens to God halfheartedly, maybe because we don’t really trust in Him to deal with them for us, or because we intend to take them back in short order. In either case, how it must grieve Him to watch us staggering around under their weight. How His father’s heart must yearn to lift them from our shoulders and liberate us to be who He says we are. If you have children, you have dreams for them, right? More than any earthly parent, God knows our full potential (and our every shortcoming) and holds our futures in His hands. But we’ll never be free to follow His wildest dreams for us if we’re in bondage to our burdens.

He’s ready and waiting, so cast your cares on Him. Throw, fling, or lob them. Heave, sling, chuck them…shoot, catapult them if you have to! Just let 'em fly and don’t look back.