Hebrews 12:1
Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
I am a person who likes to put pithy statements on the bulletin board I look at daily. You know, the ones that are ‘brief, terse, forceful, and full of vigor and substance’ (according to Webster). Here’s one of them: ‘Don’t trip over something behind you.’
This has helped me so many times when I want to make an excuse for my behavior.
Well, ‘my Dad died when I was fourteen so I did not have a father’s influence in my life.’ Or, ‘I was always bullied about wearing glasses so I feel very insecure.’ Or maybe, ‘My Mom had to work so she was never at any PTA meetings or virtually any other school events during the day.’ I always felt that I did not stand a chance for any of the prime spots in plays or work-related favors given by a teacher. I felt as if they barely knew my name. I was always glossed over because none of the teachers knew my Mom from any volunteer events.
While, yes, those things were all true, and hard on me, even shaping who I became, using them as a reason for not doing the right thing is just not acceptable!
We are really running a race, a race called LIFE. And it is not a sprint; it is a triathlon. That means we will be running for a long time – and in many different elements… physical, spiritual and mental. While I am not a runner myself, I do know that in any activity you want to be forward-looking. Imagine for a minute a race where you keep looking back over your shoulder to see how far the person is behind you. Your focus is split, your running speed is slowed, and your footing is unstable at best, disabled at worst. Pretty soon you have fallen back as the line of ‘forward-thinking’ people pass you right by!
In our own daily marathons, called our life, so many things can trip us up! However, if you have set your mind on things above, if you have a plan to keep moving forward as God directs, you may not even notice the ‘past.’ I am thinking especially of the times in our lives when the Holy Spirit has prompted us to do something for God. Recently, in my own
So, I would write out some scripture, maybe a devotional, and then let it sit. I would question myself, “Who are you that people will listen to you and read your words?” “Who are you when you did not even finish your degree in writing?” “Who are you with no big bank account to finance this endeavor?”
All these questions were quotes from my past coming back to trip me up. And, for a long time, I let them! I listened to all that false narrative. It stopped me in my tracks – along with the fact that it required money and time to write for a newspaper, two commodities we are always short on.
But finally, I recognized it was the enemy trying to keep me from doing something that would be a potential blessing to others. The Holy Spirit reminded me that when He asks you to do something, He will also give you the provisions to do it. Therefore, I wrote up a proposal for the newspaper. I was able to get a meeting with the Classified Ad Manager, and I was very well received! We established that every day a scripture would run in the classifieds. Additionally, once a month my devotional will run with the scripture. Behold, it was finally launched! There’s just no better feeling in the world than to be obedient to what God asks you to do.
Now, I pray daily that God’s Word will not return without good fruit. He established it in me, I maintain it for Him.
I think about the fact that if I had allowed those negative words that ran around in my head to keep tripping me as I looked back, this entire concept of “Firefly, a little light for your day” would not have been birthed. I do trust it is an encouragement to those who need a gentle push to get going with the idea God birthed in your heart. And, isn’t He speaking to all of us?
Question: Is the Holy Spirit prompting you to step out in faith with a project? Just step forward, don’t look back! And, as always, feel free to share your thoughts in the reply box below!
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