Use it On Monday, by Michelle DeRusha
Michelle writes a daily blog about finding faith in the everyday at Graceful. On Monday's she reflects on Sunday's sermon in a weekly post entitled "Use it on Monday." She's nice enough to let us re-post it on Southwood's blog. You can read it here each week and then click over to Michelle's blog for more of her writing.
Wind in my Face
It’s been a while since I’ve felt this good on the running trail. My legs are strong, posture straight, arms loose, breathing even. I’m loping with strides long and fluid, gait smooth. It feels so good, easy and natural, like I could run three or four miles more. “Yeah,” I think to myself, breathing in the humid morning air, “I’ve got it; we're good.” I’m pleased with myself, proud of my progress, confident and strong.
Two miles later I reach the halfway point and turn around at my usual spot to head back. And that’s when it hits me. The force of the wind literally brings me to a standstill. I stand for a few seconds, hands on hips, sweat evaporating, shock written all over my face. How had I not noticed the trees, limbs swaying, branches bending in the stiff breeze? How had I not felt the steady push at my back, the wind propelling me forward for two whole miles? “
No wonder I felt so great,” I think grimly, chin tucked to chest, head down as I battle. “No wonder it's been so easy.” I’ve had the wind at my back all along. And I hadn’t even noticed.
It's easy to trust God when the going is good. In fact, if you’re like me, you might forget to give him credit altogether. But when chaos descends – when the wind reverses direction and barrels headlong into our face – it suddenly becomes obvious that we have a choice. We can blame God...or we can continue to trust him.
“Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround and protect Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds and protects his people, both now and forever.” (Psalm 125)
Pastor Greg said it well yesterday: “The choice is yours, and you need to decide if God is for you or against you. Those who trust in the Lord decide that God is for them.” No matter the circumstances.
Frankly, it’s easier to choose blame. There have been times, many times, when I’ve felt abandoned by God, times when I’ve lamented that he can’t be found, that he’s not listening, that he doesn't care about me. I’ve blamed him for my circumstances and doubted his presence. I’ve even doubted his existence.
The more difficult choice, of course, is trust. Trust requires faith – faith that God is there, even when he seems absent. Faith that he loves us unconditionally and blesses us always, despite what our immediate circumstances might indicate. Faith that he does not cause our trouble, but walks through it alongside us instead.
I'll be honest: faith doesn't come naturally to me. I have to fight for it. I don't necessarily always feel faith in my gut, in my heart, like some believers might. Instead, I consciously and deliberately choose it, day in and day out.
Slowly, slowly, I am learning to choose trust, to choose faith – believing that God’s got my back…even when the wind is strong in my face.
You can read more of Michelle's writing on her blog Graceful.
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