I hate going the speed limit. The restraint and the feeling of someone telling me what speed to go isn’t something I am good at following… sorry dad. I see this affecting more than just my daily commute. I see it in my faith. Now I don’t want you getting the wrong idea, I am not a rebellious human, I just like to go at my own pace. The thing is, doing life with Jesus each day isn’t a “get there as fast as possible” drive. I am learning it is more like Him waiting outside my house in his car, shooting me a text saying, “I am here”, and hopping in the passenger seat.
I don’t often enjoy going places when others are driving.
I think it’s a control thing.
But Jesus picks us up and asks us if we want to go with him, not knowing the final destination. He definitely takes the backroads and not the highway. I picture Jesus driving a jeep, no doors, and no roof, going nowhere fast. With Him, there is nothing stopping you from taking in all the things around along the way to our next stop.
I had a jeep, and the gas goes quick let me tell ya. When you drive it frequently you definitely need to fill up. The same goes for our faith.
Something I am learning is that with God, we don’t have to pay for our own gas. We have to fill ourselves up to be able to take what Jesus offers us to all people! He doesn’t want us to get our quick $5 fill of faith, because that will quickly run out. He wants the, “fill till full…and then some” faith. He wants us to be filled up completely each day, and then go get your gas cans from your shed and fill those up and take them to others who have run out of fuel, or run out of faith.
There is something I am coming to love about Jesus and His pace. His steps aren’t always where we’d go, or at the speed we would like to go, but He knows what He is doing. When we let God set the pace of our lives more growth comes from the walk. There are often seasons that I would rather sprint through, but those are the exact seasons God wants to slow me down. I learn more from a slower pace, and just like a marathon runner, He builds up an endurance in me to be able to keep moving at his pace of grace.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.
Romans 15:5 NIV
I love Jesus and His pace. Oh man it is hard, but it is good.
So. Awesome.
Very good food for thought, Drew! I like your insight!
So incredibly proud of you. I mean it. Keep pressing in (:
I always say God allows me to paddle my canoe, he is the only one who gets to steer. In my lifetime, I can see where I rebelled to that, not a safe peaceful journey when I’m steering.
This is a great illustration, Drew, and it is so true. I was once told by a horse whisperer friend of mine that I was a lot like a horse. I truly didn’t know if she was making a joke with me or not. LOL She had observed that I often times hurried through my life…especially when I was going through something unpleasant. So true, because I would rather just get it over with. She said that horses (especially the ones we happened to be riding that day) often hurry up the hill, because walking up a hill takes too long and it wears you out. But hurrying up a hill is not always the best path. When we hurry we miss things. We don’t see the log across our path and we trip and fall, or we don’t see the beauty of the leaves on an autumn day. You get the idea. So even though you are participating in a World Race (How utterly COOL is that??) remember the brake (break) pedal. Patience is an art, and just like anything else in this life, one has to work hard at it. You have already accomplished the first step in recognizing your “need for speed”. Kudos for that!
This is powerful Drew! His pace is infinitely more fruitful and fulfilling. Thanks for sharing!
Drew, I truly enjoyed meeting you and your family this weekend. We are praying for you and your route! We are believing God is going to do great things in and through you. Excited to read about your journey! I’m so glad that you and my son Alex are on the same squad. Iron sharpens iron!
DAVIE! That’s a word!