You
know, the other day as I was driving from work I was feeling every
bump and hole in the ground and it was so painful to me. I began
complaining to myself about it in my mind because of how much it was
getting on my nerves... the ups, the downs, the narrow winding turns
and swerves, the dips, potholes, and stop and go with the traffic.
All of a sudden, I was mentally and spiritually stopped in my tracks.
The Lord began showing me how our life is like that. It has ups and
downs. It has turns and swerves. It has narrow roads and wide roads.
It has dips, potholes, stops and gos as well.
But,
it is not the broad and straight roads that I should seek spiritually
that are all smooth and nothing to get in the way or to hinder. It is
the strait (difficult) and narrow road that I should seek after, with
all of its' narrow windings of trouble, with all of its' ups and
downs in life, with all of its dips, and deep potholes, with all of
it's stop and go traffic that causes pain. Why, you ask?
You
see, a friend of mine explained to me how, if it was all straight and
wide on a road when driving, it is easier to fall asleep at the wheel
because you are not as concerned or alert. You are more vulnerable to
allow distractors like texting, cell phone calls, make-up, eating,
and the like to happen. So, an accident can occur more likely and you
may not make it to your planned destination.
However,
spiritually with the winding and strait (difficult) and narrow road,
I am more alert for incidents. I am paying more attention and less
likely to allow distractors to take away that attention. With the ups
and downs I am strengthened and made wiser to be prepared for the
next ones. With the dips and the deep potholes that causes me pain, I
can grow and learn from and am able to help others through and over
them. With all of the stops in my life I have time to reflect and
meditate on God's will and direction for my life so that I am not
just going at all times without thinking, without praying, without
studying His Word. But instead, I would know exactly where I came
from, and where I am headed because I allowed God to be my GPS (God
Powered Service). Therefore, with all of these that we see as
negatives, can be used as positives to make it to our planned
destination.
This
is a good spiritual lesson for me in turning something negative to a
positive outlook. You know what the funny thing is? After thinking of
all of this, I didn't mind the traffic and rough roads as much while
I was driving them that day. They still cause me pain, but my outlook
about them is different. I hope and pray that some experience in your
life, when meditating upon it, will cause you to have a different
outlook on life about that and many other situations.
A
good scripture to look at today is when talking about all of the
terrible trials, tribulations, evil and wicked things that happened
to Joseph, who didn't cause any of these things to happen to him, but
they still happened. God used these things: He used when satan was
attacking him through his family, tempting him through his boss'
wife, trying him through his boss, teaching him through his
imprisonment, and exalting his to the position that He had planned
for him to save His people. This was Joseph's response. Gen. 50:20 -
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto
good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Remember
this, you are not just going through this and that and overcoming
hurts, pains, and tribulations for nothing. You are going through it
to grow, to be strong and bold, to have a testimony, to have
compassion for others, to learn to be victorious and overcoming it to
help others to be victorious as well... You are going through this to
save much people alive.
Never give up! Never surrender! Never Quit!
Keep going knowing that if you have surrendered all to God, He is
carrying you through it!
May
God Be Praised In All I Do!
