Two Kinds of Christians

 When I was young, I struggled to understand the stories about the giant characters of the Old Testament.They were different, unique. It seemed to me that they were super strong, faith like a rock, able to – I don’t know – leap tall buildings, bulletproof, wiser than people in the world today. The Bible didn’t seem to talk much about their fears or failures so I assumed they were almost a different species, whereas I spent much of my time fearing, doubting and never really trying to live up to their standards. I wasn’t like them. I didn’t even know anyone like them. Different species.

Job and King David were exceptions; they both seemed to whine a lot about their fate, and yet they were both men after God’s heart. Why? And why did such detailed account of their misery appear in God’s word? Long after it should have been obvious to me, I realized that while in deepest trouble, they still trusted God for answers.

When I mentally put myself in their sandals, I began to see their long waits for His promises to materialize, the loneliness, desperation of Abraham trudging up the mountain with his son Isaac, wondering whether God had changed His mind about Isaac’s future. I saw Job refusing to listen to his friends telling him to curse God and die to be rid of his pain, Noah spending years building an ark in a dry land while his neighbors jeered, Joseph sold into slavery by his jealous brothers before being vindicated decades later when God’s plan was fulfilled, Moses waiting, exiled (for murder of an Egyptian guard) for decades before God revealed His great task.

I began to experience the thoughts and fears these men must have felt through the long periods when God was silent. And yet, they still listened for His voice, relieved and ready when it came. I felt Abraham’s and Sarah’s doubt and sorrow when God delayed in sending the promised child of her old age. And I saw major flaws in the life of King David, years after being anointed as the next King, moving from a hillside dotted with sheep to the King’s palace via the battlefield where he slew Goliath. Surely he had ample history with God to remain faithful in all things, yet he took the wife of a faithful servant and sent him to the battlefield to be murdered. It takes my breath away that David could stray so far after the sweet times he had spent with the Lord. Yet I know I stray daily in so many ways.

These leaders, examples of faith, lived in a dangerous world, filled with every sin that we see around us today—the devil hasn’t invented any new ones. They experienced fears, doubts, temptations as we do, but God’s word tells us He honors a repentant heart, always keeps His promises and teaches us daily how to maintain a right relationship with Him. He is ready to do for each of us what He did for them, if we honor Him as they did. I now see truth is this: there are in fact two kinds of Christians. Not strong or weak, but obedient and faithful, or rebellious and selfish. Some days I’m the first kind; other days the second. Maybe the big difference is in patience, learning to take long view. God does.

The Trip of a Lifetime

You’re planning a trip, a long journey. You’re looking ahead to all the highlights and making lists so you won’t forget any of the must-see sights you don’t want to miss, poring over tourist maps, perhaps consulting friends who have made the same or similar trips. Their counsel could help you to get the most out of your adventure, avoiding missteps that would cause you to waste precious time getting lost in a strange land.

Your first decision: where do you want to go? Somewhere far away. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but it will cost a lot and you don’t want to blow the chance on anything less than  your perfect dream location. After all, you only get to do this once.

What if I told you that you have already begun your travels and you must determine your final destination on the way? The road ahead has many detours and dead ends to be avoided. Thankfully, U-turns are permitted when you see you missed a highway marker and with care, prayer and planning you can steer through rough roads and heavy weather without serious mishaps.

Use your GPS; listen closely to stay on your path and ensure your safe arrival. Besides listening to the GPS (the Holy Spirit) you need to follow His instruction. Failure to correctly obey His direction gets you off course and means you need to go back to that wrong turn you made and find the right road—it’s a narrow road; be suspicious of a wide highway with heavy traffic. You know where that will end up!

Read your Manufacturer Warranty and User’s Guide and consult them often. Service and

keep your vehicle in good running order. Keep your battery free of corrosion; (Corrosion

of unconfessed sin can cause loss of connection to your Source of Power.)

Now, I’m not your example for a clean driving history, God knows. But I’m many more miles down the road than you so I‘ve explored many rocky paths I can’t recommend. Maybe I can serve as an example of wasted years and misplaced priorities, but please don’t doubt I care for you and yearn for you to choose the narrow, straight road leading directly to Heaven without running out of gas along your way. And try to take someone you love with you.     

                       

                 Intention doesn't put gas in your tank. Focus and determination deliver!   

Games We Play

Growing up, there often were times when there were no other kids to play with. I had to find ways to entertain myself. Reading was usually a good choice, but I soon ran out of books, even those favorites, read and reread. So I would move onto other things: jigsaw puzzles, coloring books or maze puzzles. I could spend hours on these favorite pastimes.

Assigning vivid colors to my make-believe world was soothing until fingers clutching the Crayola began to cramp. I seldom came across a maze I couldn’t solve quickly, often without more than one or two false starts or  dead ends. A jigsaw was more of a challenge though. A bit of mystery as to the finished product, much diligent concentration to make sense out of the colored cardboard bits, even with the small picture on the boxtop as a clue. Success was determined by two things from me:  stamina and unwavering focus for long sessions subject to the fear of the unknown—were any puzzle pieces missing--which I wouldn’t learn until after hours of work doomed to failure.

Life is like that some seventy years later. I’m deep in the maze still and can’t fathom when and where my travels will be complete. Following the guide the Toymaker left on the box top of my heart has enabled me to fit much of my picture together. Of course, looking back I found some ill-fitting pieces I tried to force in, which actually didn’t belong to this picture and had to be removed.  At a very young age I found out what the missing piece at my center was and that took away any doubt that I would eventually successfully complete the picture formed by combining all the random bits of my life with its key piece, no longer missing: Jesus. With that in place, the entire result cannot be other than beautiful.