Yesterday we attended an awesome Good Friday service. A portion of scripture came from Isaiah 53. I have always loved this as it says "by his wounds we are healed." So true.
When I look back at who I was and where I came from, I realize what he"healed" me from and many of these things were not physical ailments. I needed healing from attitude, bad decisions, rebellion, disobedience and they don't make meds for any of those...only by the blood of Jesus.
This morning however, God gave me a different perspective as Isaiah 53 was my devotional passage. So many times when we are in a valley, the tendency is to ask "Why God? Why are you doing this to me?" Why would a God that loves his people do this to them?
I read the scripture and this verse caught my eye:
"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows yet we considered him stricken by God."
The people considered him stricken by God yet this was not about punishment. This was about love! His love for you! God was seeing him through, God was at his side, God was allowing His plan to be fulfilled through his son Jesus so that you and I could have a chance at eternal life.
In our valley, it is easy to ask "why" God? As much as some would like to believe that "a mean God" was allowing this, it was actually a loving God that made the sacrifice of His only son in order to save mankind. Me, you, and a chance at eternal life....our answer to "Why God."
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Incessant hammering
Whew, a morning off. Thanking God for the big things! Wednesday, my husband was assigned a "post" at Stations of the Cross at our church. His assignment was at the last station...the cross. We sign up for three hours at a time.
I did not even see him that day until after 9pm. When he came home, he was somber and that went along with his black suit. I didn't pay much attention knowing I would be up until midnight grading papers and preparing for the next day.
He had a different look....his countenance was different. I put my things down and listened. He said
" You know, as I listen to the hammering on the cross, I get it....I get it that it was my sin that put him there. But as I continued to listen through the evening, it was the incessant hammering that gave me a whole different look on the sins that he carried-they were much more than mine, they were all of ours."
How do you follow that up? I agreed and recalled even my own sin. If I was at that cross, once would not be enough. I would be a part of that incessant hammering day after day after day. As I think of the significance of that action, I am reminded that our Christ died for everyone of those sins that we hammer into that cross.
One of my favorite songs that we sing particularily during this season is How Deep the Father's Love for Me and has this phrase:
Behold the man upon the cross,
My sin upon his shoulder
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished.
(c) 1995 Thank You Music, Stewart Townsend EMI CMG Publishing
With every strike of that hammer, He takes it on, and we walk away a new person free of that burden. Some burdens that we may have carried for years. You are free and the incessant hammering is proof because Christ took on your sin!
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishnent that brought u peace was upon him and by His wounds we are healed. Isiah 53:5
There is still time to visit Stations of the Cross 6:30am- 9:45 and 1:30 until 9:00 PM.
Second Baptist Church Hwy 59 at Kingwood Drive
I did not even see him that day until after 9pm. When he came home, he was somber and that went along with his black suit. I didn't pay much attention knowing I would be up until midnight grading papers and preparing for the next day.
He had a different look....his countenance was different. I put my things down and listened. He said
" You know, as I listen to the hammering on the cross, I get it....I get it that it was my sin that put him there. But as I continued to listen through the evening, it was the incessant hammering that gave me a whole different look on the sins that he carried-they were much more than mine, they were all of ours."
How do you follow that up? I agreed and recalled even my own sin. If I was at that cross, once would not be enough. I would be a part of that incessant hammering day after day after day. As I think of the significance of that action, I am reminded that our Christ died for everyone of those sins that we hammer into that cross.
One of my favorite songs that we sing particularily during this season is How Deep the Father's Love for Me and has this phrase:
Behold the man upon the cross,
My sin upon his shoulder
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished.
(c) 1995 Thank You Music, Stewart Townsend EMI CMG Publishing
With every strike of that hammer, He takes it on, and we walk away a new person free of that burden. Some burdens that we may have carried for years. You are free and the incessant hammering is proof because Christ took on your sin!
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishnent that brought u peace was upon him and by His wounds we are healed. Isiah 53:5
There is still time to visit Stations of the Cross 6:30am- 9:45 and 1:30 until 9:00 PM.
Second Baptist Church Hwy 59 at Kingwood Drive
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Look at me daddy
"Look at me daddy!" What a statement. I can remember as a little girl whirling around and telling my dad those same words. "Look at me, look at me daddy." Especially with three girls growing up, the competition can set in....and of course, being a daddy's girl-I wanted all the attention from my father.
The other day, as I read my devotion it spoke of pride and humilty. When it comes to our own opinion....of course we are humble! I don't believe that God put that devotion in my life to simply occupy space in a book. In fact, the last statement was humbling. I liked the devotion but did not give it a second thought.
A few days later, I was asked to serve in a position that I had been desiring for some time. The problem was, it was not the position I had in mind. Does that ever happen to you? Maybe you want to serve but you don't want to be the class secretary, you'd rather be the greeter where you can be seen.
It was the same principle. I thought to myself "I wanted to serve but not in that capacity!" Immediately I recalled the devotion. I thought of God asking me "Do you want to serve to honor me....or you?" I discussed it with my husband and we talked about the devotion. We committed to praying about the position. You see, God always knows what and who he needs. Even though we think we are not ready, we are not qualified, we are not the one, God will equip us.
So while I had a need to say "Look at me daddy" I was now wanting to say "Look at me, Look at me." When that changed it became solely about me! After spending time in prayer, I was led to serve in that capacity. Not for any other reason except that I am committed to furthering His kingdom in whatever position He puts me in!
Oh and the humbling statement?
Can I be the person who is not in the spotlight but the one holding it? GlenAnn Wood Eagan
See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord. Colossians 4:17
The other day, as I read my devotion it spoke of pride and humilty. When it comes to our own opinion....of course we are humble! I don't believe that God put that devotion in my life to simply occupy space in a book. In fact, the last statement was humbling. I liked the devotion but did not give it a second thought.
A few days later, I was asked to serve in a position that I had been desiring for some time. The problem was, it was not the position I had in mind. Does that ever happen to you? Maybe you want to serve but you don't want to be the class secretary, you'd rather be the greeter where you can be seen.
It was the same principle. I thought to myself "I wanted to serve but not in that capacity!" Immediately I recalled the devotion. I thought of God asking me "Do you want to serve to honor me....or you?" I discussed it with my husband and we talked about the devotion. We committed to praying about the position. You see, God always knows what and who he needs. Even though we think we are not ready, we are not qualified, we are not the one, God will equip us.
So while I had a need to say "Look at me daddy" I was now wanting to say "Look at me, Look at me." When that changed it became solely about me! After spending time in prayer, I was led to serve in that capacity. Not for any other reason except that I am committed to furthering His kingdom in whatever position He puts me in!
Oh and the humbling statement?
Can I be the person who is not in the spotlight but the one holding it? GlenAnn Wood Eagan
See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord. Colossians 4:17
Never lost
What a week. I know I am not telling you anything new. Time passes so quickly. We have had early mornings and late nights. It seems to never stop.
Two days ago, I realized I had misplaced two keys to the location I am currently working. The bad part is that I had my my name tag with the keys and one was a master key. Of course I had visions of someone breaking in under the guise of my name. I hit re-wind in my mind several times and always ended up with the keys somewhere in the house.
I recruited my husband to help look and we virtually took my car apart looking for them. They were on a red lanyard so would have been easy to locate....no luck. Of course I had to report to my location with no key yesterday. I had to borrow a team member's key and then explain what had happened. I was very fortunate to very early on discover she is a fellow Christian. She had also misplaced her key and we had prayed about locating it.
Please do not think we are "dizzy chicks." It is very easy to misplace the keys since we have to remove them and hand them to a child anytime they want or need to enter the main building. I had in fact handed my keys to a child who had such a need. Yesterday I asked if he had my key and he responded that he did not.
Yesterday, as I prepared to head to school, I was so downcast and simply prayed. I told God that he knew where those keys were and I was not going to worry. I told him that I knew He was in countrol and that we had looked everywhere. We had looked on the street, the sidewalk, the driveway, my closet, the dog's bed....you name it, we looked there.
I finally had to let the front office know that I did not have my key. I chose to say "I don't have my key today" as opposed to "I lost my key." I felt that we would locate it. As the day neared the end, I knew I would spend the entire weekend looking for my key.
I prepared to drive home and my son texted me telling me he was going fishing. He added "I found your keys." Really? He found my keys? "Where" I asked...."in the driveway!" How does that happen? My husband and spent forever looking outside and around the house.
We thought the keys were lost...they were never lost. All along, God knew where those keys were and why we kept missing them.
Sometimes in life, we get off track. We skip a beat or miss a step and wind up lost, seperated or distant from Christ. While we may not know where we are or how to find our way back, God never loses track of where we are.
I can not tell you the "happy dance" I did when I finally held those keys in my hand again. While that sounds superficial, I promise you that when we lose our footing or get off God's path, I would venture to guess he does a "happy dance" everytime one of his lost finds their way back.
We all like sheep have gone astray, each one of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6
Two days ago, I realized I had misplaced two keys to the location I am currently working. The bad part is that I had my my name tag with the keys and one was a master key. Of course I had visions of someone breaking in under the guise of my name. I hit re-wind in my mind several times and always ended up with the keys somewhere in the house.
I recruited my husband to help look and we virtually took my car apart looking for them. They were on a red lanyard so would have been easy to locate....no luck. Of course I had to report to my location with no key yesterday. I had to borrow a team member's key and then explain what had happened. I was very fortunate to very early on discover she is a fellow Christian. She had also misplaced her key and we had prayed about locating it.
Please do not think we are "dizzy chicks." It is very easy to misplace the keys since we have to remove them and hand them to a child anytime they want or need to enter the main building. I had in fact handed my keys to a child who had such a need. Yesterday I asked if he had my key and he responded that he did not.
Yesterday, as I prepared to head to school, I was so downcast and simply prayed. I told God that he knew where those keys were and I was not going to worry. I told him that I knew He was in countrol and that we had looked everywhere. We had looked on the street, the sidewalk, the driveway, my closet, the dog's bed....you name it, we looked there.
I finally had to let the front office know that I did not have my key. I chose to say "I don't have my key today" as opposed to "I lost my key." I felt that we would locate it. As the day neared the end, I knew I would spend the entire weekend looking for my key.
I prepared to drive home and my son texted me telling me he was going fishing. He added "I found your keys." Really? He found my keys? "Where" I asked...."in the driveway!" How does that happen? My husband and spent forever looking outside and around the house.
We thought the keys were lost...they were never lost. All along, God knew where those keys were and why we kept missing them.
Sometimes in life, we get off track. We skip a beat or miss a step and wind up lost, seperated or distant from Christ. While we may not know where we are or how to find our way back, God never loses track of where we are.
I can not tell you the "happy dance" I did when I finally held those keys in my hand again. While that sounds superficial, I promise you that when we lose our footing or get off God's path, I would venture to guess he does a "happy dance" everytime one of his lost finds their way back.
We all like sheep have gone astray, each one of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Protected
One of the things that discourages me most is not being able to blog everyday. I was able to do so when I began this journey a couple of years ago but so much has taken place between now and then. I still love ladies and ministering to them. I feel like I have lived through so much of what they have experienced.
Today, I read where a friend of mine has been married to her high school sweetheart for 30 years. My best friend ever has been married to her high school sweetheart for longer than that. Unfortunately, alot has taken place during that time.
One of the things we have experienced is aging parents. Speaking to my BFF, I know that she is living that journey herself.
The other day as I drove, I thought "God how do we survive this?" I have no idea how to walk this walk. As I drove, I saw a red wasp land on the windshield of my vehicle. I jumped and let out a little yell.
I am terrified of wasps. I thought "Oh my goodness, if it stung me, I'd be done!" Then I relaxed as I realized that the wasp was on the outside. I was protected by the windshield!
Then it all came in focus. It doesn't matter what I face or what journey God puts me through, the harm, the damage, the threat I feel is only within me. Just like I was protected from the wasp by the windshield, I am protected by God.
Do not be afraid of that which can not hurt you. We fear things that our God protects us from just like that wasp and the windshield.
Nothing that I fear can touch me because my God is bigger. I am protected!
The Lord is my light and my Salvation. Whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1
Today, I read where a friend of mine has been married to her high school sweetheart for 30 years. My best friend ever has been married to her high school sweetheart for longer than that. Unfortunately, alot has taken place during that time.
One of the things we have experienced is aging parents. Speaking to my BFF, I know that she is living that journey herself.
The other day as I drove, I thought "God how do we survive this?" I have no idea how to walk this walk. As I drove, I saw a red wasp land on the windshield of my vehicle. I jumped and let out a little yell.
I am terrified of wasps. I thought "Oh my goodness, if it stung me, I'd be done!" Then I relaxed as I realized that the wasp was on the outside. I was protected by the windshield!
Then it all came in focus. It doesn't matter what I face or what journey God puts me through, the harm, the damage, the threat I feel is only within me. Just like I was protected from the wasp by the windshield, I am protected by God.
Do not be afraid of that which can not hurt you. We fear things that our God protects us from just like that wasp and the windshield.
Nothing that I fear can touch me because my God is bigger. I am protected!
The Lord is my light and my Salvation. Whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1
Friday, March 15, 2013
My God
Feeling overwhelmed, like people let you down or you can go no more? You can find your comfort, peace and solace in the Word of God.
As for God, his way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. Psalm 18:30-32
No other words are needed. Let these bring you comfort today.
As for God, his way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. Psalm 18:30-32
No other words are needed. Let these bring you comfort today.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
In Training
This morning I was wide awake at 0400 hours. That is real early. It is my "first" day of Spring Break and I am awake at 4 o'clock in the morning. When I had a regular job I would wake up at 4:15 every day. It gave me enough time to do my devotion, sip on some coffee, shower and go.
Since I have been teaching long term, I have had to wake up at 5:00 every day. That is not bad. It is one hour more than I was getting and I still accomplish the same things. Unfortunately, my husband had to wake up everyday this week at 4:00. You know I can not sleep once that alarm rings so I get up too. I'm trained that way.
My son on the other hand says goodnight by saying "Mom-will you wake me up at 6:30? I have recently had to tell him that I am gone by 6:30 and that he should set an alarm. After all, my husband and I use our cell phone alarms and my son has one as well.
This morning instead of "sleeping in" I woke up at 4:00am. My mind began racing...second opinions, scooters, landscaping, eye doctors, diagnosis.....when I finally had enough I got out of bed. I knew where to go...the Word of God. I'm trained that way. If my feet land on the ground, I go to His Word, if they don't, I reach for the Bible on the night stand.
Things like that don't happen automatically, we have to train ourselves. Do you think my body just wakes up on it's own? It took years of training to do that. It began with an old army sergeant who would walk around the house on a Saturday morning when there was no school saying "It's six o'clock-wake up, you're burning daylight!" My desire to keep company with this man prompted me to get out of bed just to see the father that had worked so hard that week and walk alongside him.
As a result, he has "morning" kids. I peek into my son's room and he sleeps at 9:30 or so and I let him. I know he has probably stayed up late to watch a movie or chat with friends. What will it take to "train" him to wake up early? Repetition, practice, commitment...the same things it takes us to wake up to the Word of God.
My foundation was laid many years ago but every new chapter in life requires additional training. Reading the Word of God is not only to grow us and sooth our souls, it is to prepare us for a new mission. We are soldiers in this world and our mission is to spread the good news and to share the Word of God. In order to do that, we must be prepared. We can not win a battle on our human efforts. We need to be in the Word! Are you still in training?
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Since I have been teaching long term, I have had to wake up at 5:00 every day. That is not bad. It is one hour more than I was getting and I still accomplish the same things. Unfortunately, my husband had to wake up everyday this week at 4:00. You know I can not sleep once that alarm rings so I get up too. I'm trained that way.
My son on the other hand says goodnight by saying "Mom-will you wake me up at 6:30? I have recently had to tell him that I am gone by 6:30 and that he should set an alarm. After all, my husband and I use our cell phone alarms and my son has one as well.
This morning instead of "sleeping in" I woke up at 4:00am. My mind began racing...second opinions, scooters, landscaping, eye doctors, diagnosis.....when I finally had enough I got out of bed. I knew where to go...the Word of God. I'm trained that way. If my feet land on the ground, I go to His Word, if they don't, I reach for the Bible on the night stand.
Things like that don't happen automatically, we have to train ourselves. Do you think my body just wakes up on it's own? It took years of training to do that. It began with an old army sergeant who would walk around the house on a Saturday morning when there was no school saying "It's six o'clock-wake up, you're burning daylight!" My desire to keep company with this man prompted me to get out of bed just to see the father that had worked so hard that week and walk alongside him.
As a result, he has "morning" kids. I peek into my son's room and he sleeps at 9:30 or so and I let him. I know he has probably stayed up late to watch a movie or chat with friends. What will it take to "train" him to wake up early? Repetition, practice, commitment...the same things it takes us to wake up to the Word of God.
My foundation was laid many years ago but every new chapter in life requires additional training. Reading the Word of God is not only to grow us and sooth our souls, it is to prepare us for a new mission. We are soldiers in this world and our mission is to spread the good news and to share the Word of God. In order to do that, we must be prepared. We can not win a battle on our human efforts. We need to be in the Word! Are you still in training?
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Monday, March 4, 2013
I am His
This weekend was "Western" weekend at our church. We had the opportunity to wear our rodeo garb and experience social time at our ballpark fields. I knew alot of people in my bible study class would be wearing boots.
I have several pair of boots. What to wear, what to wear. I chose a pair of brown boots with a turquoise tip and white trim. I love them. I wore them with a skirt and sweater. I saw many pairs, colors, and styles of boots. The church was full of them.
I accented my attire with turquoise jewelry. I wore two bracelets one of which is a beaded bracelet connected with a cross. It is a rhinstone cross that connects the beads at the top of the cross and the bottom of the cross. It is neat.
As we left the church, I was carrying my bible and I draped it over my forearm, the same one where I was wearing the cross bracelet. Some friends stopped us and we spent several minutes talking to them before we headed out. When I got in our car, I placed my bible on the console and that's when I noticed it.
The weight of my bible had left the imprint of the cross on my forearm. I showed my husband and told him-that's the truth of it. We are His and He has claimed us as his own. We may be or have been in a relationship where someone claimed we were "thiers" never to be forsaken or forgotten and found that their words failed us.
Today, I was once again reminded that I am His...he has engraved my name on the palms of his hands. The imprint of that cross on my arm was just a reminder.
Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.
Isaiah 49:15-16
I have several pair of boots. What to wear, what to wear. I chose a pair of brown boots with a turquoise tip and white trim. I love them. I wore them with a skirt and sweater. I saw many pairs, colors, and styles of boots. The church was full of them.
I accented my attire with turquoise jewelry. I wore two bracelets one of which is a beaded bracelet connected with a cross. It is a rhinstone cross that connects the beads at the top of the cross and the bottom of the cross. It is neat.
As we left the church, I was carrying my bible and I draped it over my forearm, the same one where I was wearing the cross bracelet. Some friends stopped us and we spent several minutes talking to them before we headed out. When I got in our car, I placed my bible on the console and that's when I noticed it.
The weight of my bible had left the imprint of the cross on my forearm. I showed my husband and told him-that's the truth of it. We are His and He has claimed us as his own. We may be or have been in a relationship where someone claimed we were "thiers" never to be forsaken or forgotten and found that their words failed us.
Today, I was once again reminded that I am His...he has engraved my name on the palms of his hands. The imprint of that cross on my arm was just a reminder.
Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.
Isaiah 49:15-16
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Scale that wall
Wow! Is it really March 2nd? It feels like just yesterday I was preparing for our New Year's Domino Challenge with our friends. What an awesome morning. It rings so true today when I read: This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! [Psalm 118:24]
I woke up very early in the morning again. I went off into my "study place" and proceeded to get my devotion book. Instead, I opened my Bible to 1 Timothy. I am teaching this weekend and wanted to review the material. I am amazed at the power of Christ. When I got up from that place, I truly felt like I had met with God. Can't explain it except that the Holy Spirit does not disappoint. Whew.
I had been thinking about this blog and wanted to blog on a scripture God showed me last week. I don't need to tell anyone about the pressures of life or how everwhelmed our schedules are. It feels like I leave at six in the morning only to return home at 7 or 8 each day. Everything that has to be done has to be done by then because often I have been up until midnight grading papers.
I am an eight o'clocker! I am in bed by 8 or so but not these last few weeks. I thought to myself "how in the world am I going to do all this?" There are responsibilities and commitments everywhere. God revealed this verse to me in Psalms 18:28-29 and it reminded me of a time many years ago.
When I first decided that I wanted to join the police department, my sister jumped on the bandwagon. She wanted to do it also. It was great! We decided we would attempt the physical agility test together. There was only one problem....the tall wall! It was not a wall we were going to scale easily. I am only 5'4 and she is much shorter than me. We would run, gain speed and plant our foot in the center but the best we could do is grab the top of the wall.
My dad went as far as to build a makeshift wall between two trees in our back yard. We tried for days. Over and over we ran to the wall and "hit a wall" in the process. I would not be broken...I was going to do it one way or another. My sister decided this was not for her so I went to the test by myself. Once there, the recruiter told me "If you run, plant your foot on the center and push up, use that momentum to pull yourself up, you can do it." Sure enough, I did it the first time. I never thought I would scale that wall, it seemed like to big a challenge.
In life, we are often overwhelmed. The army of responsibilities seems to be too much and the enemy thrives on stealing our time because if he is successful, he has pulled us from growing in Christ. The enemy wants to keep us in the dark but in Christ there is light.
It may look like we have hit a wall and it is too much but with Christ, there are are always possibilities to scale that wall.
You, O Lord, keep my light burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God, I can scale a wall. Psalms 118:28-29
I woke up very early in the morning again. I went off into my "study place" and proceeded to get my devotion book. Instead, I opened my Bible to 1 Timothy. I am teaching this weekend and wanted to review the material. I am amazed at the power of Christ. When I got up from that place, I truly felt like I had met with God. Can't explain it except that the Holy Spirit does not disappoint. Whew.
I had been thinking about this blog and wanted to blog on a scripture God showed me last week. I don't need to tell anyone about the pressures of life or how everwhelmed our schedules are. It feels like I leave at six in the morning only to return home at 7 or 8 each day. Everything that has to be done has to be done by then because often I have been up until midnight grading papers.
I am an eight o'clocker! I am in bed by 8 or so but not these last few weeks. I thought to myself "how in the world am I going to do all this?" There are responsibilities and commitments everywhere. God revealed this verse to me in Psalms 18:28-29 and it reminded me of a time many years ago.
When I first decided that I wanted to join the police department, my sister jumped on the bandwagon. She wanted to do it also. It was great! We decided we would attempt the physical agility test together. There was only one problem....the tall wall! It was not a wall we were going to scale easily. I am only 5'4 and she is much shorter than me. We would run, gain speed and plant our foot in the center but the best we could do is grab the top of the wall.
My dad went as far as to build a makeshift wall between two trees in our back yard. We tried for days. Over and over we ran to the wall and "hit a wall" in the process. I would not be broken...I was going to do it one way or another. My sister decided this was not for her so I went to the test by myself. Once there, the recruiter told me "If you run, plant your foot on the center and push up, use that momentum to pull yourself up, you can do it." Sure enough, I did it the first time. I never thought I would scale that wall, it seemed like to big a challenge.
In life, we are often overwhelmed. The army of responsibilities seems to be too much and the enemy thrives on stealing our time because if he is successful, he has pulled us from growing in Christ. The enemy wants to keep us in the dark but in Christ there is light.
It may look like we have hit a wall and it is too much but with Christ, there are are always possibilities to scale that wall.
You, O Lord, keep my light burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God, I can scale a wall. Psalms 118:28-29
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