Thank you, Jesus for Closed Roads, Barrels and Barricades
James 1: 2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
I live in a quaint Texas community that may never be finished. No matter what direction your car points, you will see the color orange, a mixture of signs and no less than 100 barrels. The construction has changed us. It has changed the way people drive. We have become more aggressive and impatient in our haste to drive from one place to the next. Sometimes, we even "barrel race" which was once only a rodeo event. The excessive display of the color orange has changed the amount of time we have to spend in the car. About a year ago, I watched a grown man eat a full bowl of cereal (with milk!) while operating a moving vehicle. The poor thing knew he didn't have cereal eatin' time to spare before he made the complicated commute through the orange jungle. In Texas, we would simply say "Bless his heart." Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the sea of orange has changed how a coffee drinkin' girl like me has to enter/exit the local Starbuck's nearest my house. Last week, I sat in line at the drive thru. I ordered, I paid and then zoomed away. When I heard a distant voice screaming at me, all I could think was "How dare her raise her voice at me? I'm not even amidst the barrels, and she's hollerin' like a crazy woman!" The screaming was the sweet Starbuck's barista trying to explain to me that I had left my coffee behind. The construction has altered our brain power, or mine at least.
Last March, I had the blessed opportunity to visit Costa Rica on a high school mission trip. I remember traversing up a steep rocky hill in a bus full of teenagers. You could hear the loud sound of the loose rocks being crushed under the large bus tires. As I stared out the window, I secretly prayed for barrels and barricades. They would have made me feel more secure. The barricades would have marked the safest area of the road in which a bus should travel. A closed road sign might have protected me from any impending dangers up ahead. The barrels might have caused a drastic reduction in the amount of Dramamine I distributed to those suffering from unexpected car sickness. The only event that calmed my nerves as the wheels on the bus went round and round was a teenage karaoke rendition of a famous country song that repeated the words "big green tractor" over and over again. No adult chaperone would ever believe the words in the previous sentence!!! Amazingly, laughter always plants a little "seed of calm" in the heart of this anxious momma.
I don't know what season of life in which you may find yourself. I don't know what closed road, barrel or barricade you see before you. However, we know that the fragile, broken nature of life on this temporal earth means we will suffer. The view from a mountain top can be interrupted, without warning, to a moment when we find ourselves breathless, lost and struggling in the valley. In that moment, it is critical we remind ourselves that this is not where our stories end. I love the words of James 1:12 that gently teach us that Christians will receive the "crown of life" when we remain steadfast under trial.
I am blessed to be part of a beautiful Bible study community every Wednesday morning. The ladies in this group are true warriors, facing adversity with a faith in Jesus that overwhelms my soul. They will never comprehend what I have learned from all of them during the different seasons of our lives. We have carried one another through moments of overwhelming grief and remained steadfast in our desires to grow closer to Christ. Right now, we are studying the book of Hebrews in a Bible study written by Lisa Harper. In the video segment for this week, Lisa stated, "It's not about having a perfect life. It's about having a perfect savior." Those words have remained on my heart throughout this week. They define the roots of our Christian faith. Whether you have climbed a mountain or feel paralyzed in the valley, pause today and give thanks. Thank you, Jesus that our stories are not over. We are all under construction. Hallelujah He's not finished with Momma Vaughan yet! Let's pray each other through the next chapter.
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| Under Construction....Again! |
I live in a quaint Texas community that may never be finished. No matter what direction your car points, you will see the color orange, a mixture of signs and no less than 100 barrels. The construction has changed us. It has changed the way people drive. We have become more aggressive and impatient in our haste to drive from one place to the next. Sometimes, we even "barrel race" which was once only a rodeo event. The excessive display of the color orange has changed the amount of time we have to spend in the car. About a year ago, I watched a grown man eat a full bowl of cereal (with milk!) while operating a moving vehicle. The poor thing knew he didn't have cereal eatin' time to spare before he made the complicated commute through the orange jungle. In Texas, we would simply say "Bless his heart." Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the sea of orange has changed how a coffee drinkin' girl like me has to enter/exit the local Starbuck's nearest my house. Last week, I sat in line at the drive thru. I ordered, I paid and then zoomed away. When I heard a distant voice screaming at me, all I could think was "How dare her raise her voice at me? I'm not even amidst the barrels, and she's hollerin' like a crazy woman!" The screaming was the sweet Starbuck's barista trying to explain to me that I had left my coffee behind. The construction has altered our brain power, or mine at least.
Last March, I had the blessed opportunity to visit Costa Rica on a high school mission trip. I remember traversing up a steep rocky hill in a bus full of teenagers. You could hear the loud sound of the loose rocks being crushed under the large bus tires. As I stared out the window, I secretly prayed for barrels and barricades. They would have made me feel more secure. The barricades would have marked the safest area of the road in which a bus should travel. A closed road sign might have protected me from any impending dangers up ahead. The barrels might have caused a drastic reduction in the amount of Dramamine I distributed to those suffering from unexpected car sickness. The only event that calmed my nerves as the wheels on the bus went round and round was a teenage karaoke rendition of a famous country song that repeated the words "big green tractor" over and over again. No adult chaperone would ever believe the words in the previous sentence!!! Amazingly, laughter always plants a little "seed of calm" in the heart of this anxious momma.
I don't know what season of life in which you may find yourself. I don't know what closed road, barrel or barricade you see before you. However, we know that the fragile, broken nature of life on this temporal earth means we will suffer. The view from a mountain top can be interrupted, without warning, to a moment when we find ourselves breathless, lost and struggling in the valley. In that moment, it is critical we remind ourselves that this is not where our stories end. I love the words of James 1:12 that gently teach us that Christians will receive the "crown of life" when we remain steadfast under trial.
I am blessed to be part of a beautiful Bible study community every Wednesday morning. The ladies in this group are true warriors, facing adversity with a faith in Jesus that overwhelms my soul. They will never comprehend what I have learned from all of them during the different seasons of our lives. We have carried one another through moments of overwhelming grief and remained steadfast in our desires to grow closer to Christ. Right now, we are studying the book of Hebrews in a Bible study written by Lisa Harper. In the video segment for this week, Lisa stated, "It's not about having a perfect life. It's about having a perfect savior." Those words have remained on my heart throughout this week. They define the roots of our Christian faith. Whether you have climbed a mountain or feel paralyzed in the valley, pause today and give thanks. Thank you, Jesus that our stories are not over. We are all under construction. Hallelujah He's not finished with Momma Vaughan yet! Let's pray each other through the next chapter.
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