Let’s
be honest; life is difficult. The Bible does not hide this fact. Life is
difficult because sin has done a number on us – far greater a number than we
all too often realize I fear. We must also be clear, we are weak. And not only
is this OK to admit, it is necessary if you are to follow God. Yet while we are
weak, God is faithful. And when we acknowledge our weakness we can exercise our
power to choose – and choose Him.
A
reason I am suggesting a life goal of following God be made in the sand is
because (and please recall the analogy disclaimer of yesterday) if you “draw a
line in the sand,” so to say (or place your handprint and initials in sand, to
keep with the concrete analogy of yesterday), and you want it to stay there
(meaning you mean it), you have to revisit it daily. If your decision to follow
God is made in concrete, you can mistakenly think that commitment will stand
the test of time – no matter if you revisit it or not. Make no mistake about
it, if you are going to resolutely follow God throughout your life, it is a
commitment you will have to daily revisit.
A way
of revisiting this commitment is through thanksgiving. In fact, I am becoming
convinced that thanksgiving is the most fundamental thing we must do in
following God. When you revisit your “line in the sand,” you further etch it as
you recall what God has done for you. Yet in giving God thanks you dare not
stop with what He has done for only you. You must also thank God for what He
has done for others, for what He has done throughout history, and for what He
has done to advance His Kingdom. Thanksgiving is tantamount to trust in God. And
trust in God (or faith) is a prerequisite to following God.
Another
reason I am suggesting a life goal of following God be made in the sand is
because your “line in the sand” will be met with challenges. We will call them
the “storms of life.” What happens to a line in the sand during a storm? Yep,
it gets washed away. At the least it becomes less noticeable. Have you ever
been guilty of running away from God when things got difficult in your life? If
you have not then congratulations, you and Jesus are the only ones to have
never done that! In other words, of course you have. Yet if you know your
commitment to follow God is in the sand, you know this commitment is susceptible
and in danger of being washed away and forgotten when times get hard.
Let’s
face it, pretty much all growth in life is through difficulty. Ever watch a
baby learn to walk? It is humorous for us...but can be painful and frustrating for
them. Ever watch world-class athletes? The grace and power and skill mask
countless hours of grueling workouts and sacrifice. Ever watch a skilled
laborer do their part in making a house? Have you ever considered their skills
have come through hours of learning as well as having made many mistakes? The
list of examples is endless.
I
think a reason why so many followers of Jesus are struggling and practically infants
in their faith is because they do not embrace difficulty. When “life happens”
and things get hard, they turn to a variety of things rather than to God (just
to be clear, we have all done this). And all the while their line in the sand
is beaten and all but washed away. Tragically, in place of the commitment to
follow God (which includes relying on and trusting in Him), in deceptive ways
mind you, comes a commitment to whatever they turned to in the time of
difficulty (shopping, TV, giving into whatever thoughts enter their mind,
eating, cutting, being busy, etc.). Yes, to keep our line in the sand – our commitment
to follow God – we must revisit it daily. Indeed, often we need to revisit it multiple
times a day, especially when the storms of life come. And let’s be honest, what
day is totally “storm free” in your life?
There
are other reasons why I am suggesting a life goal of following God be made in
the sand, but those will have to wait for another time.
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