Obstacles

The other day I was working in the field.  Where I was working had some very wet areas in them.  One place was so wet that the tractor sank in the mud and then began to get a hold and take off.  It was an interesting feeling.

Then last night I was moving another tractor and disc from one field to another.  I over shot the entrance off of a busy state highway.  I sat there trying to back up the tractor with a disc and rolling baskets behind.  There was no backing up.  I managed to put tractor into the middle of the ditch between the road and the field I needed to be in.  I sat there for a few seconds and prayed.  I switched the tractor’s front wheel assist on and I turned right going up the side of the ditch.  As I did I felt the tractor shifting it’s weight toward my left.  I prayed harder that it would not roll over as it was a huge possibility.  I felt all six tires grab hold and begin to pull.  In a few short seconds I was in the field.  It was the longest few seconds of my life.

In life we will come across obstacles.  Moses and the Israelites were faced with the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army closing in behind them.  What were they to do.  Look at Exodus 14:15, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:”  Just two verses prior to this God tells them to stand still and see the salvation of the LORD.  Now, He says to go forward.

We have some choices in life when we find ourselves against obstacles.  We can try to go around it.  We can attempt to go over it or we can just go on through it.  What is your response?  Better yet, what is God directing you to do?

So, how are you doing?

Your Obstacle

The other evening (morning really) as I was working on some material for this blog God allowed me a thought.  This thought is, “Take your obstacles and make them into opportunities”.  My mind immediately ran to a couple passages of Scripture.  Song of Solomon 2:15, “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”  The word “spoil” in this verse means to wind tightly, to bind.  (taken from the Strong’s Concordance)

We find ourselves in situations that seem bound or wound up.  It is here that we need help and guidance.  One thing we must remember is that God is not doing this to us.  He is doing this for us.  He is more concerned with our character than our comfort.  The things in our lives that are tightly wound or bound are to help us build character.  They are also to drive us to Jesus.  We need to run to the LORD.

There was another verse of Scripture that came to my mind.  I hesitate to share it because it has become so cliche’.  Look at Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”  It is not saying that all things are good; but, that they work together for good.  There is a huge difference there if you give that a serious look.

We have choices before us.  We can be a whiner or we can be a winner.  It is up to us to make our obstacles into real opportunities.

So, how are you doing?

 

Overcome

I was reading an article a few days ago about a popular rap artist (this is a great contradiction in terms).  It seems this “artist” was annoyed that a couple of his concert goers did not stand when he took the stage.  In a ploy to get them to stand he tried to embarrass them into standing.  It turns out that one of these people was confined to a wheel chair and the other had a prosthetic leg.  The prosthetic leg was waved in the air so as to alert this intellectual midget that standing was not possible.  He then said, “My bad.” and went on with the concert.  I would have immediately vacated and vehemently requested a refund.

These persons with disabilities overcame obstacles to be in attendance that evening.  Then they were punished by the pride of yet another self-righteous, sin loving pig.  In case you are wondering I don’t take lightly when others mistreat persons with disabilities.

Hy hat is off to these who have overcome their obstacles to go to such an event.  We often face obstacles in our lives that at times seem insurmountable.  Here is the thing.  We have to keep going.  We never know when we might be the inspiration for someone else that is battling uphill, both ways, in the rain.  What joy it would be to find out that we were someone’s inspiration.

Look at Numbers 13:30, “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”  I think Caleb is on to something we need today.  We need to see ourselves as people who with God’s power can overcome any obstacle that is in our way.  Someone (possibly Hudson Taylor) said, “God and I make the majority.”

So, how are you doing?