The things we don’t want to do can be the very things which help us and make us better. The things we often want to do can be the things which tear us down and hurt us. We don’t always know what is best for us. We think we do. We feel confident we know. But we don’t always get it. It is hard to be objective when it is our life. We can look at someone else and point out the things which would really help. But to truly evaluate our own situation is a completely different matter.
One of the most obvious ways to see this in motion is by looking at what we eat and how we move. We may not want to exercise even though we know it will make us better. It is hard work. It takes discipline. We are tired and we would rather lay on the couch. Can’t we get exercise watching TV on the couch? And to eat healthy requires planning. We have to plan out a menu and buy the food and not stop at the fast food places and buy the other food. Our bodies seem to fight this all the way. We crave fats and sugars. We cling to our pillows in desperation of just one more hour to sleep. The things we want to do can be the worst things for us. The things we don’t want to do can change our lives.
Following God takes trust. It takes dedication. It takes a constant effort to follow him wherever he leads. It can be scary. It can be difficult. It can feel unnatural to love those who do not love us. It can be challenging to live counter to the way everyone else seems to live. Yet, this can be the change of our lives. We may just find all we were created to do. We may even realize God has much better plans for us than we have for ourselves. We don’t always knows what is best for us…but God always does. Maybe today is the day to find out. Maybe today is the day to follow.
Focus Scripture:
Mark 8:34-35
34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
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 