I don’t know how many of you can relate – but I feel like a permanent resident of the ‘struggle bus’. I don’t even remember getting on it for the first time – I’ve probably ridden way too often to know better. I’ve felt like I have driven the struggle bus on one than more occasion. The problem isn’t riding the bus for a while. We all struggle. For instance, I lost my keys this morning. I had gone out for a run and when I returned, I could not find my keys. I felt confident I had grabbed them when I went out the door. But I had to wake Wendy up to let me back in (Leo helped with that). After I got in the house, I started looking. I found them…in my pocket of the vest I had been wearing the entire time…for real. So you can see why the struggle bus is like home to me. The problem, though, becomes when we take up permanent residence on the bus. There are other people like us there. It is comforting – misery loves company, right? We can commiserate about all of the struggles we go through. But we aren’t meant to stay here. This is just a short trip, not the destination. It is time to de-board and live.
God has given us all we need for all he has created us to do. We are equipped. We are valued and loved. We are given an abundant life to live. When we sit in our difficulties and allow them to be our only view, we miss out on the excitement of living as we were created. We miss the good things because we are focused on our problems. We become so absorbed by all the things which trip us up, we forget how to walk. We forget to hold our head up because we are a child of the King. We forget to live in the joy of being called and loved and adored. We forget to move forward understanding that we are God’s beloved. Our view from the bus is distorted. We have to de-board to really see all God has for us.
Don’t get me wrong – I will still struggle. I will find myself back on the bus on occasion (like this morning). But I do not live there. I have been given so much more. There is joy and love waiting. There is life out there. This is your stop – time to live.
Focus Scripture:
Matthew 7:9-11
9 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? 10 Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 