BATTLES

I have been through such a battle this week but I have got to tell you I feel so content right now. Thank God for that.
Not only did I have all kinds of weirdness with breathing this week but I had a few problems with the new Children's Worship format I am trying to implement.
A visit to the ER, two doctor's visits and a boat load of medicine and my lungs are starting to feel better. But greater than that God has shown me how to soar like an eagle when the turkeys try to pull me down.
Several times this week I have wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. "People please get out of the way and let's just see what God wants to do!"
We can't in any point of our lives live in mediocrity if we want to be happy. Of course we want to be striving our hardest but I believe living in failure would have to be easier than living in the middle of the road.
How can you sit in the middle of the road and expect change to get around you? Get over to one side or the other.
God has such big plans for us, bigger than we could ever guess or imagine but it seems there are times in all of our lives we are just happier to sit in the middle of the road and block everything.
Have you ever come upon an animal sitting in the middle of the road? It is next to impossible to go around it without sqaushing it. Hmmm....
When we fight God's plan for ourselves or worse yet for others we better be willing to pay the piper.
There is nowhere in our lives we should just be sitting still. It doesn't matter what we are doing, who we are doing it for or what the plan is if you are sitting in the way---MOVE.
We can't be happy in a stalemate. Life is just not meant to be spent living in the past. The future is upon us and if we are not willing to fight for our children who is?
Gone are the days where whole families are in church together. Gone are the days where we can hide our heads in the sand and avoid such issues has homelessness, broken families and abuse. Children are wiser now and expect more from church than a bible story and a snack.
We need to tell them the story and then explain how it can be used in our life. The Bible might be our road map but to an 8 year old, a road map can be confusing.
As adults it is our job to help them understand that road map. We must get them where they live every day. We must help them realize how to stand on the promises of God while teaching them what the promises are all about.
We can't teach children about the unconditional love of Christ if we hold grudges against others and deliberately try to hurt others or stop the plans God has set into motion.
Children can see through even the best adult faking something. They know. They might not have the vocabulary to express it but they know more about our hearts than we do most of the time.
Tonight as I was thinking about all that has happened this week I find myself encouraged. Without conflict it is hard to imagine peace. Without an idea and starting point a job cannot be finished. Without pain the joy of Christ's healing would not feel as perfect. Without God's direction in our lives, we will be destined to sit in the middle of the road waiting.....
Unfortunately I am afraid what people will find waiting for them will not be God's peace and redemption but rather unhappiness and a lack of growth in their lives.
Get out of the middle of the road and accept what God has given to you. Accept his promises and allow Him to work through you.
Go out on a limb for Him. It was so scary out here at the beginning of the week but now I can tell you I have never felt so liberated. I am no longer sitting alone. I am sitting with God in the center of his will. Like it or not, that is the only place I want to be!