Post 11: taking the leap

I’m sure we’ve all learned by now that, in life, there isn’t a pause button. You can slow down and smell the roses, but you’ve gotta keep trucking on. The problem with this slow treadmill movement is that sometimes we get so stuck in a routine of some sort that we forget we can hop off. We can jump from the treadmill to the stair stepper or even the rowing machine … though really who would choose the stair stepper?

I say all of this to say that we have the option to change it up. God has so much grace, He doesn’t want us to be bored. I mentioned last week that he doesn’t let us settle for the bronze or silver in life, so why would He keep us on the same machine all the time when there’s a beautiful trail along Lady Bird lake to explore? We just have to choose to take the risk on something new.

I was watching last weeks service at Passion City D.C. and Pastor Ben Stuart has been in this series called Kings & Kingdoms. He’s been discussing 1 Samuel, telling the story of King David and all the trials he went through. In this sermon Stuart was discussing the power that King David had to either abuse or use to serve others and though this was intriguing, the statement that stuck out the most to me was “you don’t have to be a ‘yes’ man”. Excuse me, I don’t?

I’ve had it engraved in my head for quite some time now that if I didn’t say “yes” to every opportunity handed to me, I wasn’t living the most exciting life. If I didn’t say yes to absolutely everything, I’d be missing out in some way. What Stuart goes on to say is that “David has friends whose wounds can be trusted,” and what a beautiful statement that is.

It is up to us to surround ourselves with the people who we can trust only want the best for us. We have the ability to take advice from everyone that looks our way or we can take it from those who have been through trials and tribulations with God and have learned from His word, not from the ways of the world. I don’t have to be a “yes” man to everything. I can be a “No, because that doesn’t serve God’s people”, “I would, but God’s grace isn’t shown through this,” or even an “I’d rather not, because this isn’t helping me grow closer to God” kinda person.

God gives us options. We don’t have to stay on the treadmill. We can jump off and enjoy the trail with a sunset.