How To Avoid A Crash Landing

I have to admit… I was not in the most joyful of moods when I awoke this morning.  I have had a lot of things pressing against me lately, and had not done the best job in relinquishing them.  After dragging myself out of the bed, following another restless night, I grabbed the handrail and carefully negotiated my way down the stairs.  Once there I went thoughtlessly through my morning routine of turning on the heater, letting the dog out, making the coffee and then my wife’s favorite hot drink consisting of two spoonfuls of chocolate marshmallow mix, a couple shakes of cinnamon, and splash of vanilla, combined with a half a cup of hot water, a little fresh coffee and then topped off with a few ounces of milk.  Having this completed, I fed the dog, poured myself a steaming hot cup of coffee, handed Piper her drink and then padded off to the study to get my spiritual energy kick for the morning!

With my thoughts driven askew by tiredness, I was experiencing frustration and an inkling to just give up!  When I sat down at my desk, I was immediately led to open my Bible to Hebrews 10:35 where the writer says: “So don’t lose your confidence.  It will bring you a great reward.”  (Gods Word ©)  As I stared at that verse with my head in my hands, it was almost like a voice arose from the pages of my Bible accentuating the word “So!...” 

“So… what are you going to do ,Jim…  throw in the towel, and give up, or press on in – by continuing to do what you know to be right and attain your reward?”

Right after hearing this I glanced up at my computer Bible study program and clicked on the Strong’s and Thayer’s Greek definitions for the word translated “confidence”.  My eyes skimmed through the definitions and stopped at Thayer’s second listing which included the thought of “cheerful courage!”  So… there was that idea, again, of being happy or joyful in any situation based on your foundational belief system.  You know what, I was not in the mood to be happy just then!  A few moments later I had to get up to go into the kitchen to clean up something, and my thoughts were wavering from what I’d just read when the phone rang.  Now, that was unusual, as no one normally calls us before nine in the morning.  I grabbed the phone, swallowed hard and put on my best cheerful face and said “hello!”  Well, the caller turned out to be a good friend of mine who just called to “cheer us up”.  He shared a joke with me, prayed a prayer of joy for Piper and I (without having any foreknowledge of what I was going through!) and hung up!

I’d say that was a direct confirmation of what I had been reading (or hearing) in my study!  With that, I returned to my desk, wrote down everything I’d read and heard, put a real smile on my face and returned to the kitchen to start breakfast with a little bit of a hop in my step!

Joy can be a powerful force when you are in the midst of a trial.  It is not always the expected course of action.  In fact, most times, it is just the opposite of what you feel like!  So I encourage you today, to take a look at your thoughts and emotions and see what path you are on.  If you’re angling toward a crash landing, like I felt earlier today, I would suggest that you stop, take a deep breath, put a smile on your face and then allow the joy of the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10) to strengthen you and propel you back on course, flying through the clouds to your victory!  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself…”What are you expecting today?”