I took a walk in the woods today up a road I haven't taken in quite a long time. Before I started, I wondered if it would be too overgrown to make it. To my surprise it was clear a long ways ahead. I was excited to get to the top and take in the beautiful lake view. The view was amazing, but I was ready to get on with my walk. As I began to walk down the incline I became aware of the overgrowth I was about to encounter. My first thoughts were, "I'll have to go back the way I came." And then I said to myself, "But I've already come this far."
I believe that's what happens in life. Sometimes we get to these places of doubt. In times of hardship we ask, ourselves "How can I get through this?" or "Is this really what I'm supposed to be doing." When you can't see the road clearly it's frustrating. I learned the board game, Aggravation, for the first time last night. Everyone was having a great time until someone landed on MY spot and sent MY marble all the way back home. How aggravating!(hence the name.) It was always when you were SO close to getting that marble to the finish too. When I was on that road today I was SO close to the end of it. And then there's all this overgrowth in my way. I had to make a choice to keep going in the same direction or to turn back. What kept me from turning back was when I said to myself, "But you've already come this far." So I decided to stay on my path. I looked around for possible clearings. Trying to decide where there were the least amount of briars. While making my way through, my hip broke off part of a tree hanging across the road. I was impressed at my brute of a hip, but then dawned on me these were dead trees in my way. I could just pick it up and move it. Amazingly enough after I moved the dead tree out of my way I realized the rest of the road was pretty clear.
Life doesn't get easier. There's going to be more trees in the road. Some will not be dead. Some will take chainsaws to come and move. Some will have wrecks. Some will be flooded. Some will be paved and some will be dirt. I'm a glass half full kind of person. I typically always try to see the good in any situation. It's just how I'm wired. The first time someone told me life doesn't get better it discouraged me, but then I realized how true it is. Life doesn't get better, Christ gets better. Every road block we come to. Every heartache, every disappointment. Every time you can't see a possible way through the mess in the road. Every time you decide to stick it out and have faith God will get you through (because He will every single time) it doesn't mean your road will get better, it means your faith will grow stronger. Your love for God will grow deeper. Your lungs of praise will sing louder. Don't get me wrong, there are many many great things in life awaiting everyone. Times of relaxation and happiness. It's not all a dark place, and it's not all a valley. But when it is dark, and when it is overgrown and when the road is messed up, you have a choice every time to trust God and let him show himself faithful and strong in your life or to turn back and stay stuck in the same place you've already been.
The joy of the Lord is where you draw your strength to face the adversity in the road. When your heart feels anything but joy, and when you just need enough strength to move dead trees, or chainsaw or crawl through on your hands and knees. In some miraculous way the joy from His presence will overtake you and give you the strength to get through.
You will make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
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