It's summertime. Yay!? Unless you live in one of the hottest, driest cities in the country, this is your favorite time of the year! Vacation! A time for rest and respite. While staycaying (stay-at-home vacation) recently I found myself loading boxes packed with newly purchased books (I'm a collector) from my local libraries into my car. Summer can be the best time of year unless you reside in the state of Texas, the city of Austin in particular where we suffer triple-digit, dry, suffocating, exhausting, unbearable, (did I say dry) unforgivable heat. As I dragged, compressed, and loaded heavy boxes of books, I couldn't help wondering with sincere empathy how in the world construction, migrant, hospitality, swimming instructors, seasonal workers, and just about anyone forced to work outside during central Texas summer months could endure the ever-changing, volatile weather I was forced to suffer one single afternoon. Yes, I'm a wimp and wanted to give up after the first 5 boxes were loaded. I had a total of twenty. As I looked at the monumental task of loading large boxes in a sedan 4-door car, I thought to myself "I'll never finish before I pass out, I'll give in to dry air suffocation, or just quit!
As I pushed myself forward, I had to psych myself up by remembering the many herculean tasks I had encountered and conquered in my lifetime. There were many hurdles I just wanted to procrastinate away, ignore completely, go around to avoid, or just give up. No goal (like books) could be this hard nor worth this much stress, aggravation, and exhaustion. Nothing was worth this, not even first-edition books or manuscripts. Not a new startup business, that promotion, better health, faith that all would be well - nothing was worth this, and why did everything have to be so difficult, so impossible, so damned hard!? But as I sweat through stacking boxes in death-defying heat, never seeing the end of the large boxes 500 feet away, I remembered that at the end of each and every journey in my life, how proud I was that I had reached the goal. I persevered and I pushed through. And as hard as the journey looked, it simply required one thing - taking each step, beginning with the first, and eventually, I was there.
Our Father knows our strengths and weaknesses. Though I know we've all thought at one time or another "He has forgotten me" along with your silent prayers, hopes, and dreams. But let's ponder this. If He had forgotten us, then where did that strength to push on come from? How did that courage to face our obstacles suddenly surface? Where did that resolve to complete the task at hand come from? Why did you refuse to give up or give in? What pushed you on and upward? Was it...faith?
Through faith, prayer, and taking that first step many of us have learned, understand, and respect the expectations God has for us. The desire to truly excel, the perseverance to push through. The anecdote we tell our children ending with "don't ever give up, don't ever give in". is the same whisper God places in our hearts, mind, and soul. So today I encourage you to value and respect your anointed prayers and plans with faith. Push through your sweat and tears. Realize the blood you offer is blessed with the promise God gives all of us who are Believers. Proceed and believe and eventually, you'll find yourself being carried through your journey, eyeing the pleasure of your completed goal. And through that long, arduous, complicated, and exhausting long walk through your journey, you've discovered you've made it! You're only one step away...Amen.
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
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