Recalibration

This is going to sound cliche, but life is a journey and there are countless ways to live it. There seem to be many roads to walk, but, really, there are only two options. Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). It comes down to this. We can choose to walk in fellowship with God, glorifying Him, or we can choose to turn our backs and choose the other path. The broad road is enticing. It is filled with things the flesh lusts after.  This is "All the Pretty Things" by Tenth Avenue North.  It talks about how we get distracted by earthly things and asks God to help us stay focused on Him.

In the end, these things we allow to seduce us and draw us off the narrow road are empty. They leave us broken, unfulfilled. They steal our joy as we gradually lose our grip on our identity in Christ. Did I say steal? That's not quite right. It's certainly not a fair trade, but nothing can steal our joy, our identity. Addiction, abuse, the devil himself, whatever tempts or afflicts you, nothing has the power or authority to steal your identity in Christ or take you off the narrow road- you have to walk away yourself. This is comforting and convicting at the same time.  Sometimes we are blind. We don't pay attention and consciously choose the narrow road. One day we wake up, look around, and see a mangled life, broken by sin, far from God. Thank God that He is never far from us. He is with you in your darkest moment - your greatest trial, your blackest sin, your guilt, your grief. Always. He is there when we hate Him. He is there when we kick and scream against Him. He is there when we blame Him. And He cares. God will "never leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6). All this being said, when you go on a journey, you need someone to tell you which way to go - to guide you. These days, a GPS is often the guide of choice, with that ever nagging voice and horrific "recalculating". (Never try to use a GPS in downtown San Francisco. Just. Don't. Do. It.) Whose voice is your GPS? I should ask myself this question more often. Am I listening to God, trusting Him to guide my every footstep? Or am I giving the directions? Have you ever tried giving yourself directions to a place you have never been, without an address, in an area you don't know at all? Tomorrow, I think I'll go find Charley Schmorple's house in Indiana without a map, GPS, or phone book, without talking to anyone. See what I mean? Something tells me I'm going to be in Indiana for awhile. We can't always see, we are easily tempted, easily distracted, easily deceived, and we quickly abandon the narrow road. God is our perfect guide. He is omniscient and nothing can cause Him to sin. God is "a lamp to [our] feet and a light for [our] path" (Psalm 119:105). I want God to be the voice of the GPS that guides me through life. I desire to enter through the narrow gate and walk the narrow road. It takes courage. It requires constant decisions to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus as He commanded. It's high time I changed the settings on my GPS. Let's choose God's voice and turn the volume all the way up.

Recalibrating 

Overcoming Failure

Failure. It's a natural part of being human. Everyone fails, even those who project a seemingly perfect image to the world. It's a hard thing. No one enjoys failing. Failure often quickly turns into an ever-deepening despair. "I was inconsiderate toward that person" turns into "I fail to love people well", which turns into "I'm a horrible person", "I'll never be good enough", "No one could ever love me", and so on. We can't let our failures consume us. Beating ourselves up over our failures does nothing to help us, it only tempts us to fall into believing the lie that no one could ever love us. Christ has loved you. He still loves you when you fail. He will love you through the billions of failures in your lifetime.

Of course, it would be a huge mistake to ignore our failures. We are not perfect, our failures must be acknowledged. Rather than dwelling on them, though, we need to ask for forgiveness (when relevant) and ask God to help us improve. We need His help to change.  This is something I am working on.  I fail a lot and I tend to dwell on my failures.  I have to remind myself not to sit in a puddle and bemoan my shortcomings, but ask God to help me change.

When you fail a math test, you want to do better next time. You get a better score by studying, not by giving in to despair and telling yourself "I'm stupid. I can't do this." What do you do if you have tried but simply cannot understand? You get a tutor - someone to help you. We need a tutor - the Holy Spirit - to help us overcome our failures. It's the only way we can pass the math test - overcome the failures that discourage us.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6

This applies to failure. We know our God is more powerful than we could ever imagine. He can save us from our failures. If we ask Him, He will give us peace. And not just "well-I-guess-it-will-be-okay peace", but peace so all-encompassing that we cannot comprehend it.

Praise God that we do not have to be perfect. Even in our worst failures, we are covered by His incredible grace.