Pressing On Toward The Mark

When you stand at the bottom of a rock climbing wall and look up, it can be quite daunting. You can’t tell exactly where you need to put your hands and feet in order to make it all the way to the top. You know the goal, you just don’t know the path to get there yet.

The same can be said of our spiritual lives. After salvation we know we’re to walk with the Lord, but we don’t know what that looks like for certain. That’s how we build trust in God, as we listen to His guidance and take one more step. And one more step. And one more step.

Does our Christian walk look daunting from down here? Of course it does. You’ve never walked this path before, and the journey can be pretty terrifying when you’re not the one doing the planning or holding the map. What a test of our faith, when we put our steps into the hands of God. We definitely don’t want to misstep and fall off the rock wall part way up. If you’ve ever hesitated to move your hands from where they are now because it’s safer over here, then you know what I mean.

But here’s the best part. If you reach out and you miss, God’s waiting to catch you. He’ll never let you fall. You may get scuffed up a little bit, but those scratches and bruises are badges of courage for those who do whatever it takes to stay on the Lord’s path.

So you could stay comfortably on the rock wall where you are now, or you can reach up in faith and climb a little higher. When you get there, if you’re listening for the voice of God, you’ll know the next step, the next gripper, is just an arm’s length away. That move will take you one step higher, one step closer to the goal.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet...
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee...
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit...
Read more