 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1154
    Location: Arkansas | Luke 21:36
"Be always on the watch, & pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, & that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."
If you have ever had the privilege of playing video games with young children, you will relate to this! If you have not experienced this wonder, come to my house, you can play Mario with my boys & then you will understand.
God can use the most interesting things to spark a thought, today it was my youngest, Kross, playing Mario as he waited on lunch. Although I pretty well suck at Mario, I do play it with my boys. It never fails, they are either running off & leaving me, pushing me, jumping on my head, or trying to throw me! Whatever the case, "teamwork" is not what is happening. Mario is a game of patience & timing, & if you're playing with another player, communication is important. At the age of (almost) 11 & 8, my boys are not patient, & will just run off & leave you in the game.
So, today, as Kross was playing this video game it hit me; we need to approach our walk with God like this video game, with patience & timing, & communication if we are playing with others. There are obstacles along the way, some you see coming, some you don't. The obstacles you see coming, you can prepare for. You have time to think about how & when you will react. Other things come at you unexpectedly, & you have to be trained & prepared to react accordingly. Your reaction in both scenarios can determine whether you live or die. Our Christian walk is the same way, our decisions & reactions to what life throws our way can determine whether we stay living in Christ or die spiritually.
As with the video game, obviously it is easier to be prepared & have a better plan when we can see something coming. When we can see something on the horizon that is our opportunity to pray to God, ask Him for direction, seek His will. We can deal with that obstacle much more prepared, because we have had time to adequately prepare. But, we have also been given ample opportunity to prepare for the obstacles that are hurled at us with no warning. How? By staying in God's word, by keeping the lines of communication with Him open, by seeking His will in all we do, & staying on the path He has set us on. If we will do these things He will guide us as these bombs are thrown our way with no warning, it will be much easier to hear His quiet whisper as He tries to guide us through these times. We are warned these trials will come, & that in those times we need to lean on God.
In our walk with Christ we need to be patient, waiting for the opportunity to move, always watching for Satan's attack, keeping ourselves prepared for the unexpected. In life we can't push "A" & bubble up, we are not given multiple lives until "Game Over." We are given one life, & we are to use it to serve & glorify God. Let God be your Yoshi, He can gobble up the obstacles that you face. |