Don't Be a Dried Up Worm

Some of my earliest memories are fishing with my grandfather. I could not swim, so he strapped me into an ancient, ill-fitting lifejacket that reeked of old fish. I hated it, but hanging out with my grandpa made wearing the wretched thing worth it. He taught me to cast a rod and bait a hook. I liked digging in the worm bucket, searching for the juicy ones, his term, not mine.

So, worms don't freak me out, and I developed an unusual habit as an adult. If I see a worm on the pavement, I put it back in the grass because dried up worm carcasses are just sad.

Dried Up Worm

Today, I spotted a struggling worm, barely moving, and beginning to dehydrate.  I stopped to pick it up but did not quite get a hold of it.  To my surprise, it started thrashing like mad, which startled me. For a second, I considered abandoning it to its fate. But when I tried to pick it up again, it kept twisting, and I could not catch it. In the end, I scooted it back into the grass with my toe.  It took a couple of tries, but the worm finally made it.

As I walked away, I realized the worm had no clue it was going to die if it stayed on the path it set for itself.  It certainly did not know I was trying to assist. Instead of embracing the help, it viewed my intervention as an attack and fought to continue its journey to destruction.  But I had a better view of what the future held and took care of the worm, whether it knew it or not.

How often do we behave like the thrashing worm, and how much more important are we to God than a worm?

Sometimes in life, God is like a loving grandfather who puts us in a stinky lifejacket for our safety. Uncomfortable or unhappy in our surroundings, He might be teaching us valuable lessons or giving us treasured memories. And when the time comes to go, instead of struggling when He picks us up, why not relax in the palm of His hand?  If we thrash around, we will miss the view from above and never realize this is a rescue, not an attack. We will be back in the cool of the grass soon enough.

Don't be a dried up worm. He's got you.

(Originally published August 5, 2013)

30 Day Jesus Challenge - Day 15 The Way

The Way... it was what followers of Christ said of their faith.  (Acts 9:2)  Consider for a moment - Not "A" way but "THE" way.

The Narrow Path

"Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:14).

There are directions to God, how to come to Him, how to find Him.  If you are lost, get a Bible and read it, you won't be lost much longer.  Bill Wiese says it best in this short video.

Pray - I have been lost, without you Jesus I do not know the way.  Help me today to walk with you.

The Narrow Path

It's called the path, the way, the narrow road, the walk, the race; this walk through life.  For believers, it's a narrow road that requires prayer, discernment, and discipline.  All my Scriptures and study for the last several weeks keep bringing me back to the walk.  One evening, the Lord prompted me to pick up a book I read in 1998, The Edge of Eternity by Randy Alcorn.  This is a fanciful, allegorical tale of a man who finds himself on a journey.  His only instructions were to take the red road and keep moving forward.  I enjoyed the book more the second time than the first.  So along those lines, I'd like to share with you some of the thoughts I have on this journey.

(Originally Published July 29, 2013)

As a prerequisite, realize YOU are on a path, ponder it, and consider carefully where you are headed. (Proverbs 4:26)  Everybody is walking toward eternity, good or bad; your choice (Proverbs 14:12) and (1 Corinthians 9:24).

Path to Hell

If you choose to follow Christ then here is a bit of a map.  (Proverbs 3:6)

First, the path is indeed narrow and only a few find it (Matthew 7:14).  In some places, it's a tight rope with deep chasms on either side.  These are the areas of your life where you have struggled the most.  One step to the right and you enter into the mire of the flesh; the willfulness in each of us that wants what we want and we want it now. (Proverbs 4:27)

Tightrope

Stumble to the left and you enter the despair and hopelessness of the evil enemy.  Sometimes, we bounce back and forth between the two sides, like a pinball caught between bumpers.  We cross over the path but don't plant our feet firmly on the ground.  On these tight rope sections, we are not capable of staying on the path in our own strength, through our own will, and by our own proclamation; we have to surrender to the Lord and let Him hold us up and get us through.  (Philippians 2:13)

Quicksand

Secondly, don't show off.  How many of us are guilty of trying to impress the Lord, to demonstrate how much we have learned, and how strong we are; we don't realize how often the quicksand is up to our necks before we call out for help.  I hope I stop getting in up to my neck.  It takes a humbleness of Spirit to ask for help, self sufficient, type A achievers like to be independent, we like to take charge and do it on our own; that way we get the glory.  Well, there is nothing glorious about being covered in quicksand.  No one in the Bible knew this better than Peter who writes (1 Peter 5:5-6) that we must be humble before the Lord.

Complacent Christian

Thirdly,  the narrow path has two sides along it entirety.  There is no part of the journey that is not flanked on either side with evil and the flesh.  There is no safe place to let down our guard and coast along, the Word warns us of complacency and if you've walked the path for more than 10 minutes you know this is true.  (Zephaniah 1:12)

Walk with Others

Fourthly, we must walk the road with others.  We are not strong enough to make it by ourselves.  We need godly friends, church folks, and family to help along the way. Help others, live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.  (Micah 6:8)

Pathway of Light

Finally, commit yourself to prayer and reflection every day.  If you seek the face of God in the morning, even if you went off the path the day before, He will set you right.  His mercies are renewed everyday.  If we check our steps regularly, we won't stray far.  (Romans 12:2)

He never promised the road would be easy but He did promise us eternal life in Heaven.  (2 Timothy 4:6-7)  So we strive toward the prize, we groan in our Spirits, we look forward to the end of the journey and to coming Home.  (Philippians 3:14)