Bumps in the Road...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV Somewhere along the way, we all hit some bumps in the road on the highway of life. We plan, we prepare and we save for the future. But somehow, life just doesn't go as planned. We're speeding along and things seem good when all of a sudden, we hit a big pothole in the form of family issues, a death, a divorce, an illness, an addiction, financial concerns, etc. Some type of calamity or tragedy strikes and knocks the breath out of us, takes us to our knees. Well, on our knees is where we need to be more anyway, talking to God and seeking Him. Why is it that we trust ourselves so, when we know ourselves best and are aware that we don't know it all? Why is it that God always seems to be our last resort, rather than The One we run to first? He isn't caught offguard by anything, but we are. Why is it that we can talk the Bible talk so well but struggle so to walk the Bible walk? Why is it that we put on our masks and act like we have it all together when in reality, we don't? Why is it that we have so much trouble being transparent about our struggles and try to keep them hidden from others? Why can't we accept that God allows things into our lives to stretch and grow us, so that we learn from the event and are better prepared to minister to others as a result? "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:18 Why do we always feel that God is punishing us for some sin we've committed? I propose that the answer is that we rely far too much on self and far too little on God. We need to turn that around and put it in the proper order... We're supposed to be new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), but we don't act like it. We drag around our yesterdays with all their pains, problems & struggles like they are some sort of badge of honor that we can't let go of. When we're not doing that, we're wasting our time worrying about what might happen tomorrow, next week, next year, etc. The reality is that yesterday is gone and we can't change a thing about it. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed and we have no control over it. The best thing we can do is live our lives one day at a time and use them to honor God. All we have control over is the now. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 I'm not one to say we should change God's Word in any way, but imagine if a comma were placed between the words now and faith... We need to have a "NOW" faith, not a yesterday or tomorrow faith. We need to trust God in the now. He has forgiven us our yesterdays (assuming we've confessed & repented of yesterday's sins) and He alone knows what tomorrow holds in store. We'll get there when we get there if we live to see it, as my Granny always said. May I remind you of a couple more Scriptures? "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1 and "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:10-11 God's goal is not to condemn us, but to make us righteous through Jesus and He uses that which seems like trials to mold, shape & perfect us into who He desires us to be. We shouldn't be surprised by those bumps in the road, He told us to expect them. We just need to rely less on self & more on God. He is the light in our darkness. He is our guide through life's wildnerness. All we have to do is push self aside and follow Him... Blessings! Tony