Tag Archives: The Way

Broken ~ Day 2 ~ Write 28 Days

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Singing My Way Through Write 28 Days
Day 2: Broken

“O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.” Psalm 40:5 (NLT)

Broken Road

“This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.”
Rascal Flatts

Have you ever thought about all the unfulfilled dreams, incomplete plans, prayers that weren’t answered as you wanted, twists, turns, and detours it has taken to get you to exactly where you are today? 

Many of you know the “broken road” that led me to West Virginia. What you might not know, are the heartaches I experienced as part of the journey. Teaching jobs after teaching jobs were given to someone else and it left me feeling inadequate and like a failure. Loneliness set in as my friends one by one moved on in their lives while I was stuck where I was without them. (No cell phones back then) And maybe the most difficult for me was the realization that the man I hoped and prayed for wasn’t to be found so marriage and a family probably weren’t in the cards for me. I felt lost. But God knew right where I was and where I was going.

I had lost MY way, but soon found that step by step, I was traveling the route GOD was navigating:

~The “unexpected” introduction to a West Virginian visiting Michigan resulted in,
~An “out-of-the-blue” last minute phone call offering me a position for the job I longed to do,
~I had “just enough” money for my plane fare to a place I’d never even heard of, then
~The “last minute” change in plans effecting my lodging lead to,
~”A spur of the moment” offer of hospitality from a fellow teacher I didn’t know,
~Who “just so happened” to introduce me to her single farmer son and the rest my friends, is history. Coincidence? I think not! 

In the span of little over a week, I had the job I’d hoped for, met colleagues I knew would become friends, found respite for my homesickness in the familiarity of a farm house, AND met my future mother-in-love and husband. It was “all part of a grander plan” that was coming true. I just didn’t know it at the time.

“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines out steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

I know you’ll find this hard to believe but I like to control things, for life to go as I want it to. And in the midst of all the discouragement and doubt, I couldn’t see that something much better was coming. Even now, knowing what I know from this experience and others, when faced with disappointment and pain, I still find myself vying for control, whining about where I am instead of trusting that God has a better path marked out. You too?

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

When God spoke these words so long ago, I think he was saying them to us, too. They are a promise to hold on to when everywhere we turn seems to be a dead end; a reminder that though to us the road may seem broken, He sees the completed Way, the One that leads us straight to Him, our future and our hope.

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Day 1/31: Way

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31 Days of Five Minute Friday Free Writes

“The LORD replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'” Exodus 33:14 (NIV)

Day 1: Way

Just down the road from my house, majestically rising from the ground, are the Seneca Rocks. Rock climbers from all over the world come to ascend their sheer fins. They can often be seen standing on the very top, silhouetted against the backdrop of only the sky. I want to make it clear, I am NOT one of them!

Thankfully, there’s another route to enjoying the view from the heights of the rocks, one designed for non-climbers like me. Many years ago I took that trail with our church youth group and while the path is easily navigated, I found the steep slope and my lack of physical fitness challenging. At the same time that I was huffing and puffing, one of our youth who had physical limitations declared she needed to rest. I knew there was NO WAY I was going to make it without stopping, so I “generously” offered to stay back with her and continue on when she was ready. And that’s what we did together: climb a bit, rest a bit, go a bit further, sit for a few minutes, start again, and then pause until we finally conquered what we didn’t think we could. 

This story is a good reminder for all of us that the same is true in life. We will face many challenges and some will leave us feeling as if there is NO  WAY we can make it to the end. The thing is, we don’t have to push through on our own huffing and puffing under the weight of it all.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’”
Matthew 11:28-29 (NLT)

We all know that standing in the valley looking up at the mountaintop can feel overwhelming. The weight of our circumstance makes taking another step, let alone a step up, seem impossible. That’s when Jesus generously sits with us, offering rest when we need it the most. While still difficult, the journey becomes doable by uniting with Him, sharing the load of our worries, anxiety, grief, or whatever we face. Together, we climb a bit and rest in Him, make it a bit further and sit with Him, begin again and wait with Him until we conquer what we didn’t think we could. Where to us, there seemed to be NO WAY, He doesn’t just make one, He IS the One!

“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’”
John 14:6a (NLT)

#myseaofthought #31days2022 #fiveminutefriday #viewfrommylens

The Way is Enabled

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“Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.” John 10:9 (NLT)

The Way is Enabled

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, “I don’t like passwords!” Oh, I know they’re necessary to keep our information private and secure, but still. It seems like whenever I’m right in the middle of something, a transaction, purchase, or even trying to add words of encouragement on someone’s blog post, that pop up asking for my password will block my way. Then, I find myself having to go through the steps of getting my book, finding the right one, and entering it in perfectly before I can get where I wanted to go. Anyone else relate?

Recently, I had a day full of worry where my heart raced and my thoughts spun even faster. In the midst of my anxiety I cried out to God. What a comfort to know that there was nothing else I needed to do to get my request right to Him! No password or steps to take necessary.

Think of the Old Testament Priests. They had to get the right clothes, find certain foods, and follow the rules perfectly or their way to God was blocked. Hallelujah, that Jesus, through His sacrifice, has enabled the way for us, far-from-perfect people, to go, without hesitation to God!

“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, lies us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT)

Maybe passwords are difficult for me because I’m not a technological native but rather a foreigner trying to function in an unfamiliar world. I know it helps to have younger people to guide me in the right direction! It can feel that way living in our day to day world too! Finding ourselves at dead ends and feeling lost is all too familiar; but, we’re not alone in it, either.  Jesus tells us that He is the Gate to go through, the Door that will be opened, and the Way to follow.

“Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. you are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.” Ephesians 2:18-19 (NLT)

“So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” John 10:7 (ESV)

“Jesus told him, ‘ I am the way the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’ ” John 14:6 (NLT)

If you’re like me you may not remember your passwords, but here’s the good news: when written on our hearts, Jesus keeps us secure and is the only Word we’ll ever need to enable us to pass from this world into the presence of God. Now that’s worthy of another “Hallelujah!” don’t you think?

“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John 1:14 (NLT)

Writing today as part of the http://www.fiveminutefriday.com community and as part of #write28days (even tho I’ve only written 4) with http://www.anitaojeda.com to the prompt “Enable”. Please know that I appreciate you stopping in and reading the things I ponder on. Your presence is a gift to me! God bless.