Some days its hard to keep the focus on Jesus. When everything in life seems to be falling in on top of us, that's when we need to reach out and hold on a little bit longer. We know there is joy at the end of the trip, but in the midst of the journey, sometimes we encounter road construction. A good friend of mine has a CD out and the title song is "Road Construction". The song talks about how no matter what road this gentleman takes to get home, he encounters some form of delay or detour, but he just finds another route to get there. I think we have all encountered that same dilemma in our walk with Christ.
There are times when we feel like we're never going to reach our destination. The length of the journey seems to be a long and frustrating one as we struggle to deal with the realities of this world and long for the joy of the next. What helps to keep us focused on Jesus is that promise! The enemy laughs at us in our desperation. He offers us solutions that are not really solutions, just white-wash over the immediate needs we are facing. Our faith reminds us that all our needs WILL BE MET! For as individual as we are, so are our needs. God knows them all. And our relief will not come a moment sooner than necessary. Like the spoiled child, we want it NOW! We want the reassurance that we're not being forgotten! We want center-stage with Him!
What we tend to forget is, that a very long time ago, a man waited on God's timing and although the journey he walked was long and hard, the end result was joy! The anticipation of impending "doom" in our lives cannot compare to that one life! He took on the burdens and the sins of this world, not for himself, but for each and every one of us. We are redeemed through his suffering. We are protected by his word. He is the voice of truth that cries out to us in our moments of despair ~ the one, true, living God of all who waits on us to come to him; not the other way around! He will mend our broken hearts, heal our battered lives and sooth our emotional pain, but only when we humble ourselves to him will we see the true joy in the cross!
Take the first step. Don't worry about the detours. Watch the road ahead of you, not the one behind you. It doesn't matter where you've been, only where you are headed! Each step you take brings you closer to home ~ the place where Jesus lives!
