So you are walking along with God. Things are going well… you are excited, inspired… you feel really close to Him… sense His presence.
You are on the mountain top. It seems as though nothing could change ~ like you’ll never stop feeling this way. You think you understand which way is up and which way is down. You understand ~ and it feels good.
It’s like this in relationships. Everything is moving along pretty smoothly… everything, or at least most things, seem to make sense.
Then. You slip. No longer on the mountain top… you are holding onto the edge of the cliff… with all your might… wondering
what happened?
I don’t understand.
I love this place on the mountain top. It’s an exhilarating place… a place you know you belong… and you never want to leave.
But, we do leave it. We slip… and fall… and sometimes tumble further down than we think we would go. We lose the fire, the thrill… we become complacent, or frustrated, or discouraged… and we wonder
why?
What do you do when your life… when your faith… when your walk… is in the fray? The fray ~ defined, it means a threadbare spot, as on fabric, or a noisy quarrel, fight or brawl. Any of these definitions could apply.
What do you do when your life… when your faith is in the threadbare spot… or in the midst of the quarrel… the middle of the brawl?
You want to rise above the fray… get back to the mountain top… how do you dig your fingers into the crag and pull yourself up to the top?
I’ve been thinking about this, in the midst of mama temper… the little irritations with wanting to get things done, but having to jump hurdles to get the finish line. I’ve muttered a few cuss words under my breath… and sadly, some over my breath.
I’ve been thinking about this, in the midst of relationships… that just aren’t going the way they should… the way I understand to be right… all the messy humanness getting in the way.
The longer I walk with Him, the more discomfort I feel… when I mess up… the big ones, pretty easy to figure out… but, even the little ones. The mess-ups don’t sit well. They don’t sit at all. They stand up… stare me in the face, and say…
nope, try again.
So, what do we do when we are stuck in the fray… and we want so badly to rise above… rise above the fray?
- Tell Him. Tell Him you are stuck. Tell Him you want up and out of this place. Tell Him you are sorry… and mean it. The most amazing thing happens. He forgives. Every. Time. Amazing. Nowhere on earth do we get a clean slate like we do with Him. I don’t know why… but, He says we do. I believe Him.
- Tell a Christ-loving friend. You know the kind. The one who will tell you when you are wrong… when you are right… and will remind you that you will not always be at the top of the mountain. The friend who will help pull… or push you back up there. If you don’t have this kind of friend, ask Him for one. He will provide. He’s got your back.
- Just keep going. Keep climbing. Keep moving… forward. Keep focused on the right One… without worrying about why it doesn’t all make sense right now. We don’t have the bird’s-eye view… the God’s eye view. I tell my kids… just keep swimming… just keep swimming. (Dory had it right).
Keep walking in faith, even when we don’t understand why…
Understanding only this…
Faith, and life, above the fray… that is the place to stay.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
