We had our first show of the Christmas tour yesterday and, yes, it’s always a bit overwhelming. People ask if I ever get nervous before a show. Yes! There were so many new elements of this show that my hands were shaking before I went on. After all, I want to do a great job for you. In the end, you prepare the best you can but you have to just go for it. We got through it and it was all so much fun!!
How often do we pray for things to go right, but then chaos ensues? We pray for protection, but the car still breaks down. We pray for peace only to have the baby get sick and cry even longer. We pray for knowledge only to get a request to help teach a class or give a presentation. None of these ironic little twists mean that God isn’t listening, it just means He is the greatest listener and teacher and wants you to experience the “dirt on the path”. The fact is, if you pray for patience, God will put you in the middle of traffic.😂🤣😂 He will give you an opportunity to learn to have patience.
A friend of mine shared this concept with me. “God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button to get things” (Harry Emerson Fosdick). Instead of asking for answers and then expecting them to show up at the door, our Father, like a perfect parent, wants us to experience the joy of learning…to feel the “dirt on the path”. But to feel the dirt we have to start walking.
I have learned to just start walking and God will walk with you. When we do, we grow and so does our confidence. Even if we fail, we still tried. My mother always taught us, especially through her example, that “the only failures are those who fail to try.”
Another good quote I love? Nike—“just do it”. 😂😂
This idea has tremendous appeal. What can I do right here? Right now? Lift where you stand! Movement brings motivation. And yes, especially as we get older, it may hurt a little bit. Are you getting older? Well. just keep moving. That’s what I have to do now that I’m not feeling as young as I used to. Anybody there with me? Haha
Don’t wring your hands, start ringing the bells of praise to our God whose love is so enormously infinite that He allows us to strive, struggle, learn, and grow! Why? So we can learn to be like Him. We may not get what we want all the time, but God knows what we really need. In the end, we will become better by “walking on the dirt”!