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That Sinking Feeling

What you see is what’s left of the ladder going to my Mother’s attic.  The step I was standing on broke. Then, two more steps broke under me as I made a short but intense journey down to the floor.  I know it was quick, but I remember thinking “This is gonna hurt”.  A big scratch from one of the now exposed nails, a slight twist of the ankle, a bruised tailbone (what, I still have a tail!), and hurt pride were my results from this encounter with the attic ladder.  I didn’t fall very far, but it was far enough.

My Mother needed help getting the Christmas tree and decorations down from the attic.  I’ve always like going back up in the attic.  Lots of memories up there.  Shucks, some of my toys from fifty years ago are still up there.  Today my assignment was to bring down the Christmas tree, lights, decorations, etc. for this years’ time of celebration.  To get to all the “stuff” that is in the attic, you have to pass through the gatekeeper.  You must climb the only source available to get to the attic.  That source?  An over 50 year old flimsy ladder.

It wasn’t a big surprise.  I had actually replaced a couple of steps a few years back. (Just didn’t replace the step I was standing on that broke).

What was amazing to me was how my brain was working.  In a split second it went from singing “I’ll be Home for Christmas”, to thinking I’m Fixin’ to Be on the Floor for Christmas.  From happy, carefree, holiday spirit to pain, anxiety, hurt, and thoughts of “this is going to be TROUBLE”.

2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

I’ve read that during the holiday season, many folks have that sinking feeling.  It’s a time of year when we should be joyful, happy and celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus.  But the way our brain works sometimes, it causes us to also realize the hurts and pains in our lives.  Maybe you’ve lost loved ones, a friend is moving, health issues, things just haven’t turned out this year like they should have.  All good reasons to feel sad and experience the sinking feeling.  That sinking feeling can happen in an instant.  Your living and loving life when all of a sudden, uh oh you are “falling from a ladder”, and your sinking feeling is overwhelming you.

Look at that scripture again.  Our troubles produce a glory??  Gotta be kidding right? Well, guess not, it’s right there in the Bible.  So, I’m hearing you ask me, “How do my troubles produce a glory from and to God”?  Honestly, I don’t think I can answer for you on that one friends.

What I can say and do know is this.  I speak from experience because I have “fallen from a ladder” several different times, both physically and mentally.  While my earthly body and brain are focusing on the current hurts and troubles that I’m experiencing,  there is a spiritual part of me that remains focused on Christ.  Even when the pains of the life on Earth are giving me depression, sadness, and hurt there is a part of me that stays with God.  I know that God is staying with me.  That’s how I feel that glory is being produced.  The glory that an all powerful God is taking time to be with me is an amazing thing.  The glory that I am giving to this all knowing, all powerful God because He is with me is my humble way of giving back to God.

The troubles that you are going through right now?  I bet it’s tough.  Probably like falling from a 20 foot tall ladder.  But hear this.  Your troubles are huge because they are your very own troubles.  But compared to ……….   Hmmm, compared to……..  Wow, compared to…..  to the Great  and Everlasting Eternal Love of God, your troubles are small and won’t last very long.

I’m not putting down your troubles as a trivial and meaningless matter.  I’m lifting up your troubles to our All powerful, great and mighty God.  Jesus is Lord.  He is Lord of our lives.  He is Lord of our good times,  and ……… He is Lord of our troubles!  To God be the Glory!

Merry Christmas!

See Ya!   Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, full time ladder climber (to higher ground)

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Life In The Fast Lane

u-turn-lg

You’re kiddin’ me right?  The only way that I can cross this road is to make a U Turn?  Seriously?

In the middle of nowhere, rural south Mississippi, with very little traffic, there has been a major change.  Where is the stop sign? What’s happening here?  I mean, is there a legitimate reason for doing this?

To cross this highway involved stopping at the stop sign, looking both ways, crossing to the median, looking both ways, then driving on past.  You would leave the 4-lane behind and continue on your drive.  Not now buddy!  You can’t drive across anymore.  They (who is they?) have put a barrier up where the road intersection used to be.  NOW, you must turn right and merge into traffic.  Just a little ways down the 4-lane they give you a U-Turn lane.  To get to where you’re going, you take the U-Turn, then merge into traffic, then get in the right turn lane.  Then you’re back on track.

You got this?  Does it make sense?  Before it was this……… Stop at the stop sign.  Look both ways for any traffic on the 4-lane. (Never was hardly any.)  Then proceed with caution on your journey.  Now, now it’s like………. slow down at intersection, turn right, merge into U-Turn lane, go forward, get into right turn lane, turn right, go forward, now move ahead. (Now whip it!)

It’s all done without stopping.  It just doesn’t make any sense to me.  Was the intersection redone because of a safety issue?  Do the log trucks in this area create a problem with the (used to be there) intersection?  Has the Highway commission and public transportation seen a better way of doing things? I don’t know!  It’s confusing to me.  I don’t understand.  All I know now is that to get to where I’m going, I’ve got to turn right,make a U-Turn, turn right again and then I’ll be……….. uh….. then….. well I’ll be!!

I see a spiritual lesson here as plain as day, as plain as the new asphalt on this new intersection.  When we choose to become Christians, what directions do we take?  First, we come to God. (in a car we would turn to the RIGHT!)  Then we ask for forgiveness and change our ways. (We make a U-Turn).  Next, we turn right again (We follow God’s Will and Direction for our lives) and then……. we get to where we’re goin’.

I can make no acknowledgement that I understand this process. (either  the actual road intersection or the spiritual “intersection”)  I feel inferior sometimes when I can’t explain this process to others. (either one).  But what causes me to live my spiritual life as a Christian is the same reasoning that is used to cross this highway.  What is this reasoning?  Believe.   By believing, I choose to take a new and different path to get to where I’m goin’.  Whether I choose a new path to cross the highway, or whether I choose to follow Christ to get me where I’m goin’, it’s based on what I believe.  Not what I understand.

Isaiah 55:8-9New International Version (NIV)8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,    so are my ways higher than your ways    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher part time highway inspector, full time believing in a Holy Spirit filled journey

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Stomping All Over the Scripture

stairstogod

On our adventures out west this past month, Staci and I stayed at a good friend’s house a couple of days.  Each time we would go up or down the steps, I realized that I was stomping all over scripture passages.  Actually stomping on these words from God……. but in a good way.

How many times do we talk about our spiritual Christian journey being like a physical journey, a trail to walk, a mountain to climb, a path to follow, and in this case, a stairway to climb?  Did you ever think that each and every step we take may contain a message from God Himself?  If we get in a hurry, we may miss one of the messages.  If we really get in a hurry and don’t pay attention, we may miss the message and worst of all, the step itself.  And we fall flat on our faces.  I’m telling you that because that’s what I did on this staircase.

But Hey!, I’ve got a good excuse.  I thought I heard the elk bugling outside so I hurriedly ran up the stairs to get to a window to look out over the mountain.  Some where between “be supportive of one another” and “count your blessings”, my clumsy size 10 1/2 shoes missed the next step.  Missed by that much! Missed just enough to trip, fall, and catch myself on “Forgive and forget”.  I certainly wanted to forget what I just did, but I had trouble forgiving myself for falling on the stairs.  I limped, shuffled, crawled, and staggered to make my way to the window.  False alarm…. no elk, just a coyote, and a sore elbow.

I guess what I’m experiencing here as I rub both elbows and a wrist to make the pain disappear is this.  Have you ever been in such a hurry to hear something from God that you missed the everyday messages, and hurt yourself in the process?  The daily steps that we take to get us higher and closer to the top(God) may just be what we are supposed to be seeing and “hearing”.

I don’t know about you, but climbing a set of stairs sometimes seems to me  like a bother, a chore, just something to take to get from one floor to the next.  Never mind the view as I go, just want to hurry and get to the final destination of the next room.

I think this is what I’m seeing in these steps.  I want to hear from God so bad that I miss all the “little” messages he’s got placed in every step I take.  Steps that I take each and every day.  Everyday steps, boring steps, steps that seem like a bother, a chore, may actually be filled with messages from God.  We mess up and fall spiritually when we make the mistake of missing the “little ” messages because we think He speaks to us only in the “BIG” messages.  You know what I mean.  We want to see the writing on the wall, hear it in the lightening, from some major event in our life.  I’m finding out in my own life, that God is speaking to me in small steps.  In everyday activities. In what sometimes seems like just a normal routine.

That’s what was refreshing to me about these steps I’m stomping on.  I’m beginning to realize that my spiritual journey is one small step at a time.  There  occasionally may be a big event that takes place, but each and everyday there are definitely small steps to take….. one at a time.

But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ Jeremiah 7:23

So,……… in this spiritual journey we are on, let’s focus on something really, really big.  Focus on something really, really important to our lives.  Let’s focus on a major STEP that God has placed in our lives.  What would that be you say?  The next small step.  The ordinary step right in front of you that is leading to higher ground spiritually.  Don’t get caught up in how God is supposed to be “talking” to you.  Better to be caught up in how you need to be “listening ” to God.  It’s one small step of many.  It’s the step right in front of you.

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher