“The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking
spaces.”
-author
unknown
Did you ever think about some of the parking lots you’ve used
over the years? I began pondering this.
I rate lots…most picturesque would be in front of the Valley Hardware in West
Cliffe Colorado, facing the ranch valley and the Sangre de Cristo
Mountains. Gorgeous. The most historic would be at Gettysburg or Mt.
Vernon University of Wisconsin in Madison —low
clearance. We were scraping the top
coming back out with our old suburban, Big Red.
Another nerve wracking (for me) parking lot was located 3 miles up a one
lane, narrow dirt road that was only 4 wheel drive accessible. We were heading up to a forest service parking
lot to hike Music
Pass
Who knew parking could even be an adventure?
God calls each of us to a life of adventure, following Him.
He has a plan for each of our lives that may include a
“parking spot” at times, a period of rest and waiting. But generally, He made us to get up and get
going…and keep going. This is where
Perserverance, this month’s Lovely Branches theme comes in.
You and I both know people who are “parked.” (and sometimes
it is us!) They decide to stay where
they are, either physically, mentally or spiritually. Sometimes what is required of us to keep
going just seems too hard…or even impossible.
Quitting looks like the smart and easy thing to do. The first time I drove a stick shift, I
wanted to park it and walk away. It was
just too hard to coordinate everything to get the truck to go! (And after I shifted too clumsily and lost a
load of square hay bales my Dad had just loaded in 98 degree, 98 per cent
humidity in southeast Kansas ,
I did walk away!! Poor Dad)
I finally got the hang of shifting and using the clutch on
the tractor, and my first car was a stick shift! I still enjoy driving a stick shift today.
Perseverance means you hang in there when you want to quit. You keep trying. You keep putting one foot in front of the
other. Doing one hard thing after
another. Making it through one set back
after another. Patching up one misunderstanding after another…you get the
idea. God never gives up on us and He
wants us to keep doing what He gives us to do without giving up as well.
My kids were cross country runners. One of their favorite posters said,
“The race
is not always to the fastest, but to those who keep running.”
In keeping with this theme, consider these words of
inspiration:
Life is not a sprint, but a marathon.
“Most people never run far enough on their first wind to
find out they’ve got a second.”-William James
”One may go a long way after one is tired.”-French proverb
“Saints are sinners who kept on going” -Robert Louis
Stevenson
“Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on
something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone stumbling on
something sitting down.” -Charles T.
Kettering
I especially like the last one. You can’t stumble if you’re sitting down, or
if you’re “parked”. But you’re not going to go very far, either!
Perseverance is like climbing a mountain. It seems to hard or even impossible that you
could get to the top, but if you keep putting one foot in front of the other,
you’ll get there..you’ll make it to the top!
Only with prayer and relying on God to “carry us” can we
make it, though. I climbed a mountain
that was almost 14,000 feet once and believe me, it was only the belief that
God would give me strength that kept me going!
Even though summer is a good time to take it a little easy
and “smell the roses”, I challenge us to put ourselves in gear, so to speak,
and shift into a preservering mode.
You may have some projects around your home that need
doing---once you get started, you’ll be surprised what you can get done. It’s a game I play with myself. I’ve been doing a lot of yard work, clearing
out gardens. I look at each and think, “Wow,
what a mess. I’ll never get this done”, and
find myself headed to the porch to “park” in a chair for awhile. But if I just get started, I can usually keep
going and then I’m done!
It maybe a relationship that needs some work. You’ve tried reaching out to this person, but
they keep rejecting you. Keep reaching
out anyway. Jesus did.
You may have some personal habits that need changing—take the
steps to get yourself back on the “right road”.
Sometimes we’re in a situation that taxes all our strength
and even our faith. God calls us to
persevere in what looks to be impossible.
Keep the faith. Keep holding
on. He promises to always be with us
whatever we’re going through.
I’ve been faced with each of these and still am. I have projects that need to be done,
relationships that need some mending and tending, habits that need breaking and
making, Often I can’t see how God is
going to bring good or even just bring me through a hard time. But I think of other believers around me who
have faced far greater and longer trials than I have, and it gives me
encouragement to see that God has helped them to stand and keep the faith.
Whatever “potholes” or challenges you have, whatever
“mountains” you have to climb, know that God is with you and with Him, all
things are possible.
I’ll leave you with these encouraging words telling us there
is no need to “park”, but to keep going:s
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper
time we well reap a harvest if we do not give up.” -Galatians 6:9
(This was the verse I muttered to myself over and over my
first year of teaching!! I made sure my
son also had it for his first year!)
And
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of
the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” -I Corinthians 15:58
