Perspective

When last I tread upon the Jordan’s banks
And see my life behind in sharp relief
My soul would pause and offer Christ my thanks
And say farewell to sorrow, care, and grief.

For just ahead, across the misty stream
I see a land so beautiful and free
And look! a shaft of glory’s shining beam
Bids sadness cease and bears a call to me.

I will arise and shine; my Light has come
The splendor of my Lord falls on my face
My soul, at last, has reached its end, my home
Eternity of glory and of grace.

Forced Triumph

“…Why do we fall down?”
“So we can learn to pick ourselves up again.” – Batman Begins

While I’m usually averse to using movie quotes to illustrate something the Scripture can do just as easily (and better), the audio/visual accompaniment in the film made this more experiential for me. We face many obstacles over time; three of my current favorites are despair, depression, and defeat. Wow… alliteration. I must be assimilating some of this Baptist environment.

But we are not allowed to stop, to halt, to give it up, to throw in the sponge, to wave a white flag and admit defeat. My flesh wants to simply collapse, but whatever influence the Spirit wields in my life is forcing my stumbling legs to push on and keep moving. And so it is: I fall, I crawl, I stagger to my feet, and the Hand of God gives me a helpful shove forward through the wilderness of life.

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.~ Rom8.37