Sometimes the rush of life has you moving so fast down stream you don’t know which way the safety of the shore is. You find yourself being pushed along and feeling like you have no choice in the matter. Your mind is so filled with the things that are not only going on today, but tomorrow as well. These are the moments that we need to learn to slow ourselves down and remember that God is in control of our tomorrow. That He is the one we need to trust to get carry us through.
Jesus calmed the storm on the sea when the disciples were doing exactly what the majority of us would do; freak out. All they had to do was trust Him and remember that they just needed to put their eyes on Him, once again. Even though they were with Him, they didn’t always keep their eyes on Him. They didn’t always understand the full nature and the love of Christ. There are two parts to us; the human us and the spiritual us. These are constantly at war within us.
You may have heard this saying, “Two forces beat within my breast one is curse the other blessed, the one I love the one I hate, the one I feed will dominate.” The Bible reminds us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.” Not only is there a war going on around us; there is a war going on within us. There is a fight for who we are and who we will be. There is a fight for us to follow the nature of Christ and to follow the things of the world. Sometimes we are closer to one side than the other. Yet, even when we feel as if we are ‘failing’ as long as we remind ourselves to put our eyes back on our Creator and trust in Him to continue to keep us and know He has the best for us in mind. Then we can move forward in confidence and not fear.
Remember it is not about what someone else is doing. It is not about what someone else has. Or what they have accomplished. It is about our personal relationship with Christ. There will come a day that it will just be you standing before the throne. There won’t be anyone for you to point a finger at and ask, “what about him?” “what about what she did?” No the only question you will have to answer is “what about me?” What did you do? Where was your faith? Where was your trust? Maybe you ‘failed’, maybe you ‘succeeded’ but either way did you place your heart and mind on the things above and not below? Did you remember to look toward the hills from which comes you help? Did you remember to pray and praise Him in all situations?
It is never too late to place your heart and mind, your trust and faith, in Christ. Every day begins anew. Even every moment is one that you will never have again. You get to choose how you react and respond to this fast-paced world. It is not always easy. You may not always be able to choose one of the fruits of the spirit to help you react. You may react poorly. This is okay. This is part of who you are. It is what you do in the next moment and all the ones that follow. You will have ample opportunities to strengthen your faith and belief. Don’t be afraid to use them to place your trust in the Lord.
Prayer
Lord we thank you for this day and the trials we face. We thank you that even though sometimes we choose to react out of anger or despair, you see us where we are and hold us in your arms. You keep us safe in the shelter of your wings. We thank you that you have given us the opportunity to grow in your grace and love. We ask that you continue to help us to strive to follow you in each and every moment.
Help us not to harshly judge ourselves when we fail in these things. But help us to learn from every situation. To move forward and grow closer to you.
In Jesus name,
Amen