Have you ever ridden a bike? It took my sisters and I awhile to learn how. I think we were eleven or twelve when our parents finally succumbed to our oft calling requests to buy us bikes. (You know those, please, please please children requests!) I know it was in the summer and we tried and tried to learn to balance and become true bike riders. We finally figured out if we went to the top of the hill outside our drive way the momentum of hill helped us and we finally succeeded. For some reason they bought two bikes for the three of us (remember we are triplets) so there was a lot of squabbling on who got to ride when. But we did finally learn and it felt glorious to feel the wind in our hair as we rode along under pedal power. However, no one bothered to tell us that where your eyes look is where you end up! Until we learned that piece of information, we also had some crashes. I think it is the same in walking this faith walk.
Distractions pop up all the time. I saw a car commercial the other day that actually showed a track with built-in distractions that measured the car and the driver’s ability to react to unexpected situations. Giant balls, balloons and other things seemingly random would pop up around the track. They are developing a “smart” car that can help the driver avoid accidents.
fortunately we have some smart help, if we choose to use it for our faith walk. It is the foundation of the Word and our choice to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The word focus means to concentrate attention or effort on something. When we focus on the Lord through His Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit our perspective changes and faith arises. Having the right focus helps eliminate the distractions that would take you off course, because you are concentrating on Him. When we truly remember who Jesus us is: our Savior, the lover of our soul, our provider, our healer, our intercessor, our hope then our faith arises and discouragement flees. We may not know how it will turn out, our how we will get down the road, but we know that we will not have to do it alone. Learning to ride those bikes with my sisters was challenging, but it was fun because we were doing it together. We shared stubbed toes and skinned knees, it wasn’t easy but we all did it!
We need to remember we are not alone in our faith journey, no matter how it feels. Will we do it all “right”, nope, not a chance. Even those “smart” cars get into accidents, but we will probably make fewer mistakes and know that when we do, we can learn from them. Each morning choose to fix your eyes on Jesus. Thank Him for directing your day and invite Him walk through the day with you. Begin to look for Him in your routine tasks. This way when trouble (like unexpected news) or difficulties arise, you will already be prepared for their encounter because you know you are not alone. The peace of God begins to guard your heart and life becomes less stressful. I have tried it both ways, this is much better!
Faith Encounters 