Feeling Stuck?
No matter how frozen life can seem to appear-
God’s healing rivers never stop.
We can trust that He will complete what He has started.
Phillipians 1:1-6
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Paul was praying for the Christians in Philippi with Joy! Why? Because he had a confidence in the Lord’s ability to work good things within their lives. He also had another confidence. It was in the end result of God’s work in their lives through the Holy Spirit! He knew that at the end they would reach the completion of God’s handiwork in them.
One of THE most profound lessons I have gained since becoming a believing Christian is that of perspective on life.
When I was in drivers education class many years ago I remember Mr. Stribley speaking to us about a bigger picture of our driving experience. He told us that we had to keep our eyes on the horizon ahead of us. He warned us not to focus on the hood of our car because if we did we would waver all over the place. If we focused on the horizon up ahead we would gently and surely follow the curving of the road as it lead us through to where we were going.
That picture has stayed with me all through the years and I didn’t know how it would find a spiritual application in my life. I once read a book that talked about the bigger picture of our spiritual life as Christians. It brought to mind the wedding feast, or some might call it the wedding supper of the Lamb. The description of the time when we will all sit down with our Lord to enjoy the celebration feast of the new life we have with Him was indelibly written in my mind and I quickly pondered the horizon of my spiritual life.
There will be things that are right on the “hood” of my life experience. I can be tempted to focus on them more than is healthy and begin to waver all over the place. The daily disappointments, struggles with sin, business of my daily responsibilities and family issues can all begin to overwhelm me if I forget the horizon!
I have decided that the best way I can walk in the grace of God through a very challenging life is to keep my eyes on the horizon! To keep my mind on the end during trials will give me perspective that will keep me following the road with much more ease.
I also learned a simple and profound lesson. the car doesn’t move forward with my foot on the brake. There have been times when I have felt paralyzed to move forward due to fears of failure or just plain confusion as to which direction to go in. Well, take your foot off of the brake and press the gas! It is really hard to see where I am going from the “Stop Sign” of life.
Where am I going? I am going to sit down with my Lord for a wonderful dinner and enter into an awesome eternity of joy! This will be sooner than I can imagine. Take for example the scriptural reminder that we will live 70+ years. Well, I am now close to 56 years old. That means that I may only have 14 years left. Oh, my! That took my breath away a little bit. But what if God’s grace allows me to live until I am 90? There, that is a little easier but even then, I only have 34 years left. I may have numerous challenges that come about in the next 34 years but even so, I know that my time is coming soon and I can handle 34 more years of a challenging life knowing where I will end up – soon.
God will complete the work He began! I have full confidence in that for myself.
Do you believe that for yourself? Have you pondered the horizon in your own life today?
While the challenges you are facing today seem to overwhelm you, take just a little time to think about the wedding supper of the Lamb the feast that will usher us into eternity with God! Even if only for a moment, you will see there is an end in sight and it is awesome to ponder knowing it is all good. Actually it is more awesome than you might even be able to imagine.
Imagine sitting at this table with the King of Kings.
I would imagine the current trials of our lives would pale in light of this wedding supper. It is all in perspective. When I feel overwhelmed with disappointment it helps to look down the road. When I am discouraged and disappointed, I know that in the end, He will not disappoint me. I can easily get lost in questions about my life and what God is going to do with my daily wrestle. There is one answer that is certain; I will be with Him for eternity and that is a good thing.
When I realized that heaven wasn’t just a bunch of harps and clouds and it wasn’t just a heavenly choir – I started to ponder what it may be. Did you know there are more scriptures that describe heaven than there are those that talk about hell? God wants us to ponder our eternity so He gave us plenty of “travel” brochure information about our life with Him after we die or He returns. Spend some time pondering that and I’d bet your life will start moving forward again.
I am a curious sort. I love to question things, search for deeper meaning than we might see on the surface. I think of an eternity of asking questions and actually getting the answers! In my discovery of eternity with God I will enjoy an environment full of truth. And, I will not be bound by time so I can ask to my heart’s content. I will finally have God’s perfect perspective on things that seem so confusing today. Ummm. Heaven, perfection, unending joy, a life with living forever. Wow, I’m not stuck, I have just begun.
Rev. 22:7 – “Behold, I am coming soon!
For the moment, your daily trials, though they may seem frozen in time, will wane just a little bit while you focus on His plans for your own eternity.
Maybe you’ll even see a little thawing occur!
(c) John J. Smid 2010
June 28th, 2010 at 9:47 am
John,
I love the entire message you have given. I will ponder more of the scriptures on heaven and reflect on the horizon of my life in a fuller manner.
I have at times got stuck at the stop sign and was afraid to put on the gas for fear of what was in front of me. No matter what is out there, I know and can trust the Lord is in control and will lead me, be with me and never leave me no matter the circumstance.
Great article.