Room for Hurdles

Make space for hurdles, give room for obstacles. 

As I prepare to leave for Southeast Asia for a month I’ve been thrown off by all of the unexpected obstacles.  (That’s my subtle way of letting you know that you won’t be receiving these emails for a few weeks. You can email me if you would like to be included on my updates) In driving school they advise you to leave distance between you and the car head of you.  This gives you time to react to unexpected stops and objects in the road.  As the road conditions decrease the advised distance increases.  So with rain the advised distance increases and then even more with more severe conditions like ice.  The same principles are needed in our daily lives.  Sometimes I pack my day so full that I leave no space for the unexpected.  Whether it’s a friend that stops by unexpectedly or the appliance that breaks life is full of things we didn’t plan.  When we already have space worked into our day we have room for these surprises.  Then they don’t take quite the same toll on us because we have made space for them.  The tricky part is learning to increase the space needed as conditions change.  If the conditions of your life are requiring more of you then greater space is required.  It doesn’t mean we aren’t capable of handling things it just means the conditions require more of us and that means more space.  Either way, whether it’s clear sailing or stormy we need to keep some space.  

“I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”

John 16:33 The Message

Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure.  Yet, not only for the actual event but for the years following.  He is also preparing us for that same reality of life.  He says that we will continue to experience difficulties.  So it seems that we should plan for that. This doesn’t mean we do this with a ‘woe is me’ attitude of pessimism but instead with the sober perspective of what is true.  For Jesus doesn’t say to go be upset because of the difficulties but instead to ‘take heart’ because the greater truth is that He has conquered the world.  So everything we are walking through has ultimately been conquered by Him.  Where does that leave us?  It means that yes we can expect life to be hard; Yes, we can anticipate hurdles along the way.  However, it’s also yes that we can be unshaken, assured and at peace when we remember God has conquered the world and everything in it.