Day 9 - Lean Into the Pain

A Weightless Devotional

Photo by Kat Nesterenko

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you! Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! I strengthen you—yes, I help you—yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand!” (Isaiah 41:10)

The existentialist philosopher Martin Heidegger talked about the presence of a pervasive sensation of dread, a vague and undefined fear that seems to linger in the background of many of our lives. This concept, which he called “Besorgen” or "care," reflects the all-too-common human experience of living with a constant state of anxiety without a clear understanding as to why we feel like we do. Heidegger also described “Geworfenheit,” or “throwness”— the feeling of being thrown into life without purpose or direction. This feeling of being thrown into existence aimlessly can eat away at our souls, leading to some deep-seated unease.

But, as believers, we know a lie when we hear one, don’t we?