But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
I sat there in the dust looking as the wagon left me behind. Ok. The truth is I have fallen off several things in life. I remember one time I was on a jet ski and fell off the back. That was mostly ok with the exception that I couldn’t for the life of me get back on. We had an above ground pool in Cobden and one day I was leaning over the edge trying to pick something up and well, before you could say, “shoot that thing” I was over the edge and gone. It was so fast that my wife Judy and daughter Becca, who were watching, didn’t even see me go. Don’t mention it to either of them…they are still laughing.
I’m going on a canoe trip with the youth of our church in a week or so and I fully expect to fall out of the canoe. I have already enlisted several people to help me get back in when I fall out and my wife Judy is prepared to do CPR. You might wonder why I know I’m going to fall out. Let’s call it destiny. Oh, and there was the time I was tubing behind a speed boat and lost my grip and my trunks. They are still laughing about that too.
My latest experience about falling off has to do with the proverbial wagon. Most of us who have ever started to exercise, or started a diet, or started back to church, or any one of a number of things, know about falling off the wagon. For me it was the food thing…again. I was so proud. Judy had found out that she was a diabetic and all of a sudden, I had some motivation to get back on the wagon…a little friendly competition. Well, I took the bull by the horns and before long, my sugar was normal, and I was twenty pounds lighter. I had a blood test and everything was just “honky dorrie”. But then it happened.
The wagon hit a big old bump and I went flying off and the next thing I knew all I could see was dust and Roy Rogers was singing, “Happy Trails to You.” And here is what I discovered…once you are off, it is hard to get back on or in. It is true with tubes, it is true with jet skis, it is true falling out of pools, it is true trying to start the church thing again, and it is true with healthy stuff. In fact, I just had to take a break and eat a couple of cookies to keep my strength up.
Well, I would ask for some advice about how to catch and climb back on the wagon but truthfully, I know what to do. You know you stop this and start that and you might even pray about it. The bottom line is I need a big old helping of want too, and I’m pretty sure it is right down the road somewhere. The nice thing about that proverbial wagon is that it does circle around the block. I probably need to buy me one of those t-shirts that say, “Before you quit remember why you started.” It’s a little late for this time but not for the next.
So, how about you? Any wagons left you in the dust recently? Anything you need to start again or stop again? Well, here’s one good piece of advice. Don’t quit trying. They say you’ve never really failed until you stop trying and just in case you have stopped believing in you…the One who made you hasn’t. His evaluation of you and your performance doesn’t depend on success or failure. His evaluation is based solely on His love for you and boy, does He love you a lot. The Bible tells us that He demonstrated or showed His love for all of us by sending and allowing His Son to die. Die.For.Us. Now that is amazing. It is just good to know that there is Someone who believes in us regardless and He will be first in line to give me and you a hand and pull us back on the wagon. You can count on Him to be there for you with a great word of encouragement. “Don’t worry,” He will say, “I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 