Before we were married, Jim took me and the kids—his and mine—to Gatlinburg for a long weekend so that we could all get to know each other a little better.  We had all gone hiking up one of the mountains in the state park where he planned to propose to me during the trip.  However, one of the kids was sick and it just didn’t seem to be the right environment as she whined up and down the mountain, so he kept my ring in his pocket and continued to watch for the perfect moment to ask me for my hand in marriage.

There weren’t a lot of parking spaces near the trail we were hiking on so we had to park on a small spot on the side of the skinny mountain road on a very sharp incline.  When we were done hiking and all piled back into the car, Jim put his foot on the gas pedal to leave but we didn’t move.  He tried gunning it a couple of times and still nothing.  So the boys climbed out to see what was going on and why we weren’t moving.  The back tire was hanging off the edge and they thought maybe it wasn’t getting enough traction, so with the two boys pushing, Jim tried again to no avail.  Some nice hikers saw us trying to get out of the parking spot and offered us a hand too.  Before we knew it, there were about five men pushing from behind to get us on our way.  They pushed and pushed and again…nothing.

Then one of the men came from behind the van, knocked on Jim’s window and asked, “Do you have your emergency brake on by any chance?”  Much to Jim’s dismay, he reached down and low and behold, found the brake on.  It made sense because we had been parked on such a steep incline, he just forgot to take it off when we started again.  We all laughed as we realized that we just made about five strangers sweat and work to try to move our van that was never going to move even if there were ten pushing!  Once he released the break, he easily pulled out of the spot with no help at all!  Had Jim not been so distracted about once again not finding the perfect moment to propose as he had planned and not been so tired from the trip, he probably wouldn’t have been so preoccupied and forgot to release the brake when we were leaving.

I think about this and still giggle to this day.  Poor guy had a plan and between the kids and I, it kept being thwarted.  I think about that story and can relate it to our Christian walks.  How many of us feel as though we are in out of control situations, like being parked on the edge of a cliff on a steep incline?  Our first inclination is to put our emergency brake on and stop everything isn’t it? You know…take control to make sure we are safe.  Often we feel like we push and push and never get anywhere.  Or sometimes when we find our plans not going as we thought, we get tired, and we simply loose our focus on God where our true power lies.   Sometimes, we just forget that we have God’s power over us when we are in scary situations as we feel weak and vulnerable.  There is no need to put on the emergency brake.  It might require our friends who are not in the middle of our situations to come alongside to remind us that we need to let go, or release the brake so to speak though when we can’t see it ourselves.  As Christians, we are given God’s power through His Holy Spirit.  With God on our side, we should have no fear.  If we simply release our control, God is free to show His power and keep us safe from those things that cause us to fear and prevent us from moving forward.

My prayer for you is that you will call on God’s power in your life this week.  May He be more real to you than ever as you cling to Him through your trials, looking to Him for His mighty power to get you through.

Isaiah 40: 28-31 (NKJV)

²⁸ Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
²⁹ He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
³¹ But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Don’t you just love little kids and what they say?  I was having dinner with my grandson this week and my daughter was telling me he had gotten into a bit of trouble with the teacher last week.  Apparently he had not finished his homework on time.  The teacher asked him, “Brycen, why isn’t your homework done?  You’ve had a whole week to do it.”  He looked the teacher in the eye and said, “I’m a busy guy.  I didn’t have time to complete it!”  Needless to say, mom got a call and the issue of unfinished homework was resolved.

As I was hearing the story I asked, “What kind of homework could you possibly have in kindergarten anyways?”  He was telling me he had to practice his letters and read a book every week.  I said, “Do you know how to read already?” His answer was, “I’m working on it Grandma!”

Yesterday Jim and I went to breakfast at our favorite Saturday morning pancake house for brunch.  Neither of us wanted to stare at the wall behind us so we both sat on the same side of the table that faced out to a huge wall of windows.  As we were sitting there waiting for our food, it came to my attention that there was one tree out of several planted in a row that still had all of its dead leaves from fall hanging on it.  I laughed because I thought maybe it was not a real intelligent tree or something…maybe confused a bit?   I said something to Jim and he said oak trees do that.  I looked into it and found out that oak trees are the only deciduous trees that hang onto their leaves until winter once they die.  Most trees shed their leaves in the fall as they die as a means of survival through the cold winters.

As I pondered this scenario, I thought the tree just looked a bit silly for hanging onto all of those dead leaves…oak or not.  Then my thoughts went immediately to Christians.  Have you ever met someone who says they are a Christian but never seem to be able to shed the old dead life and embrace their new life in Christ?  I think perhaps others look at them and think the same thing I thought about the oak tree…don’t they look silly?  Perhaps they’ve already learned that if the new believer would just let go of the old and give God control, it is a lot easier to move forward in the new life.  However, some of us just come into our new lives with more baggage than others.  I’m not saying it’s OK to remain in the sinful activities we once did as an unbeliever.  However, we must let go of the reigns of our lives and allow God to work in our new lives to help us make changes. This is how we survive and thrive as Christians.  We can choose to give it all over quickly and easily or we can hang onto the old and take more time getting to the fullness of the salvation we have received once He’s had the time to do His work in us.

When I think of oak trees, I think they’re a pretty strong tree. So this analogy wasn’t working real effectively because I couldn’t criticize them for doing what they were created to do.  The fact is, the oak tree gets to where the other trees do but only when new growth from within their branches forces the leaves to fall to the ground.  This being unlike most other trees who recognize that the dead leaves are hazardous to their well being and allow them to fall away quickly so they can survive the winter and make room for new life in the spring. I’m making this sound like the trees have a mind and a choice on how this process works.  However, they don’t.  They are just doing what God created each one of them to individually do in order to make it through this life.  He knows what’s going to be best for each one so He helps each, individually, make its way to full and healthy maturity.

I think the lesson is this.  We as Christians have all accepted God’s gift of salvation in our lives and each one of us has a path to travel in order to receive our new life in its fullest dimension.  We can’t look at the person next to us who needs to hang onto the old life a little longer before they fully understand their new gift and judge them like they are false or not good Christians.  God created each one of us differently.  So what if we don’t fit the mold of a model new believer? I’m not saying it’s OK to continue in our sin.  But if we truly seek God and His wisdom, He will work from within to help us purge the old stuff out of our lives so that He can bring new growth to us in His time.

Is there something that is hindering you from letting go of the past?  Do you feel a little silly when you look around and no one else seems to be struggling like you?  Don’t worry.  Keep praying and be patient.  God has a plan just for you.  He’s already at work helping you from within even when you don’t see the evidence on the outside yet.  For when it is the right season, God will bless you and give you more than you ever imagined.  Don’t look at your struggles as a sign of weakness.  Even though the oak tree takes its time as opposed to others, it is a very strong and noble tree.  Just as you too, in God’s time will be strong and wise as you allow God to work in your life, helping you to push out the things in your life that are pulling you down.

So don’t allow others to question you or judge you for the path God is taking you on.  Rather, as Brycen might do, look them in the eye and say, “Even though God is a very busy Guy, He has all the time in this world to help me make it through this life here on earth. This Christianity thing is going to take me some time to perfect, but don’t you worry…God and I are working on it!”

2 Corinthians 5:17(NKJV)   Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Philippians 1:6, 9-11(NKJV) …being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; … And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,  that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Yesterday in church I was sitting next to my daughter, Courtney who is pregnant.  As she was sitting there, her baby inside was kicking her up one side and down the other.  I giggled thinking about this little one who in a few short months will be bursting into our lives changing them forever.  Then my mind went to, “You think this is bad?  Wait until she’s a teenager!”  I can be a bit cynical now that I’ve raised 4 teens full or part time.  Raising two of them on my own makes up for the last two step children I got semi-part time!  Truth be told, I had at least one or more teens in my household for 13 consecutive years.  It has scarred me for life as I can’t look at a baby anymore without thinking about them being a teenager!  It’s been a perfect birth control if I ever thought I might want to adopt a child in my mid-life!

We went to lunch after church and Courtney was talking about getting a mattress for the baby and about the supplies she is gathering for its arrival.  You can see her eyes glisten when she talks about the hopes and dreams she has for her child.  You can find her at any given time sitting in her chair crocheting yet another blanket to wrap the little one in when it arrives.  She’s worrying about having the car seat in time and just pulling all of the details together for that upcoming day that no one but God knows at this point.  She knows it’s coming and she’s making sure she is ready for when it does.

There has been a lot in the news lately about the Mayans who have predicted the end of the world to be in December of this year.  I know the Bible says no one will know that day and time of Jesus’ second coming so these things don’t really resonate with me too much.  However, my mind started going to the thoughts of, “What if?”  What if God were to come back this December?  Do I have my affairs in order that I would be ready for Him if He did?  Just as Josh and Courtney are excitedly awaiting the arrival of their first child, I am also excitedly looking forward to the second coming of Jesus.  The big question remains however; have I made the correct preparations so I am ready when He does come?

If the baby were to arrive early and all of the preparations weren’t made yet thinking they had another 3 months, I am sure there would be chaos as everyone scrambled to get things together for the new princess’s arrival.  Just as if Jesus were to come today, I think He might catch many of us off-guard with more things on our “to-do list for Jesus” yet undone.  I have chosen to live 2012 as though there is no tomorrow.  Each morning when I rise, I am going to read my Bible and pray like today is my last day and ask for my instructions to make sure I am ready when He comes.

Won’t you join me in the preparation for His coming?  Who do you know that still needs Jesus as their Savior?  We need to pray for them now as tomorrow may never come.  Perhaps God is asking you to talk to them about their salvation.  Pray for doors to be opened for you to do just that.  Maybe He is just asking you to be their friend. Can you carve out time to make relationships that will count for eternity?  Are there things in your life you’ve been hanging onto for years–unresolved feelings, unforgiven wrongs against you, unconfessed sin?  What is it that would stand between you and God if He were to return today?

I am not typically a fanatic or alarmist about these things.  Though today in my spirit, I feel it’s time to get ready–time to start preparing for His arrival.  What can it hurt?  NOW is the time to get ready because some day—no one knows the day or the hour—Jesus will be here.  It can either be a time of chaos and regret, or a time of celebration and great joy.  The choice is yours!  Just don’t say I didn’t tell you so!

May there be a glisten in your eyes today as you ponder that day when we meet our Savior face to face!  Be blessed.

Mark 13:32-37  (NKJV)  ³² “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. ³⁴ It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. ³⁵ Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— ³⁶ lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. ³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”