Sometimes I find myself walking along in life, doing my
best, striving to stay connected to God and to those I love around me, when all
of the sudden it feels like the sidewalk ends.
I’ve run out of direction; I’m low on drive. My time with God has become scattered. I start to wonder why I’m doing what I’m
doing to begin with.
I have some choices at that point. I can keep running full steam ahead,
rationalizing in my mind that it’s just for a time; it won’t always be this
way. It’s just a phase. I can choose to break down, and start
snapping at the world around me, looking for excuses and reasons to vent out
some of that internal steam. Or I can do
a little Jetson walking. Remember the
Jetson's cartoon? They had conveyor belts
they would walk on. They felt like they
were moving, but they never actually got anywhere different.
One of the best things I’ve learned to do when I’m losing
perspective is to simply take a moment and stop. I know that seems simplistic, but for me,
I’ve found it can actually be hard to do.
My brain will immediately want to go to the laundry list of items in my
to-do pile, or start regurgitating back up all the negative garbage from my
past, or, if I’ve really pushed it, my brain just feels numb. For
me, stopping requires I take a moment, recall my worth before God, and
acknowledge I need Him in this space. I
remind myself of the value of our relationship.
I think of it as a spiritual time-out, not because I’m in trouble, but
because I need time out of the free fall I’m in to get centered again with God.
I take a deep breath.
I let the stress of the here and now melt away. I center my thoughts on God’s deep, abiding
love for me. I remind myself of all my
many blessings. I thank God for them,
and for His remarkable care for me. I
pray to Him, pouring out all that’s in my heart, both good and bad. I ask Him about the sidewalk, about how I
lost the feel of it under my feet. Then
I listen. Listening for me can be the
hardest part, especially if I don’t sense God’s presence right away, but I wait
patiently, receptively for Him to answer.
Sometimes the answers come in a deeper sense of peace about
my path, and a confidence that though I’m moving forward in the direction I
should be, I need to be sure I’m still creating space for what most matters and
letting go of what doesn’t. Sometimes
it’s in an awareness of where I may have taken a wrong turn, a direction I took
that led me away from God and back onto that Jetsons walkway. My favorite times are when I sense God directly
answering me, encouraging me with either scriptures or new ideas and thoughts
about my path, my growth, or anything in particular.
However God answers, I find it’s always worth the wait. As I set aside the moments I need to
re-engage with the creator of the sidewalk I find myself on, He has an
incredible way of setting me out in the right direction again, centered and
ready to give.
For Further Thought: Proverbs 22:5 says, "Thorns and snares are in the way of the obstinate. He who guards himself [with godly wisdom] will be far from them and avoid the consequences they suffer." Let's fact it--sometimes we're the ones who are obstinate! Make some time this week with God to evaluate your path and be sure the sidewalk you're walking on is headed in the right direction.
CLASS OPPORTUNITY! THE DENTED FENDER IS
PROUD TO PRESENT "RENEWED: HOW TO FIND A WINDOW WHEN LIFE CLOSES THE
DOOR."
October 15-December 17,
2016
Location: The
Healing Center
11345
Century Circle West
Cincinnati, OH 45246
*No class Thanksgiving weekend & there's an optional class on
"Parenting through
Crisis"
INTERESTED? KNOW
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