Driving Through The Maze

I was alone in the car yesterday nimbly manipulating my way through the highway 101 exit that blends into a maze of numerous on and off ramps that converge near the downtown exit off the highway that literally splits our town in half.  It was one of those rare times that I had by myself, as my wife was at home with a friend and I was attempting to complete my list of long awaited “To Do’s” within a specified period of time!  As I came over a rise on the ramp and turned to seek an opening into the left lane where traffic was merging off from the highway, my ear caught the words from the song that was playing on the Christian radio station that I had on.  Although I was concentrating on the action that seemed to be coming at me from all directions, I found myself shaking my head in disagreement with some of the lyrics to the song.  In my understanding and study of the word, the statement being sung was a common misunderstanding to the truth that is clearly taught in the New Testament by both word and deed.

As I began to picture the various wonderful Christian individuals that we have known over the years who have agreed to this misconception, my thoughts were suddenly interrupted by words streaming from my heart saying “God is love!”  It was like the illustration that I recently shared about a torch being lit in a dark cave.  Instantly the light dispersed the darkness and I had the answer to my question of how Christians can still unconditionally love God even though they may incorrectly associate Him with the on slot of sickness, sudden death or other painful catastrophes. 

It is because He is love, and as His spirit now lives in us, we also have that capacity to love, even through the most painful of situations, no matter what our understanding of who or what the cause is.  It is that same love on the inside that enables us to love others when they do ugly things to us or to our loved ones.  It is that love that gives us the strength to go on even though everything or everyone around us has seemingly deserted us.  It is that unexplainable power that resides in Christians that is totally foreign to the non-believing world we live in.  It is that indescribable ability to turn the other cheek when everything about you screams to lash out in self preservation, anger or revenge.

It is sort of like the time shortly after we had moved to Oklahoma, when my wife and two kids came to pick me up for dinner one night when I was at work.  When I got out to the truck my wife commented that she wanted to go to the pet store across the boulevard to get some food for the pooch.  I climbed in the back seat behind my wife who was sitting shotgun to our son who was driving.  When we arrived at the end of the parking lot in order to cross the multilane though fare, the traffic was backed up due to a distant red light.  The drivers in the first two lanes were beckoning my son to cross through the small opening they had made.  He nodded and proceeded across only to find another car barreling right at us from the unseen third lane.  It was suddenly like everything went into slow motion as I watched that small SUV coming right at me.  Within an instant he hit us and bounced off to the side of the road.  Since both of our cars were still able to move, we drove into the next parking lot and got out to access the damage.  Although we were shook up, we were all okay.  The other car had only managed to put a dent in the side of our Suburban while completely ripping off the front end of his car.

I immediately went up to the other driver to see how he was.  He met me shouting many loud explanatives while raising his arms up and down.  Since I tend to be calm in those types of situations, I let him have his say and then I quietly asked him if he was okay.  This interaction repeated itself a few times and finally the young man relaxed and said that he was fine.  At that point we were able to rationally talk about the accident and exchange insurance information.  I believe that it was the love of God inside me that caused me to put aside my personal frustrations and seek the welfare of the other’s involved.

My point today is simply to remember that you are never alone nor unarmed!  God’s love has been shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit that lives in you. (Romans 5:5 and John 17) It gives you the ability to be a light to others as well as the strength to make any personal changes that you endeavor to make in yourself.  It is the very nature of God working in you to give you a relationship with our heavenly Father that you might never had thought possible.  It is the power to set and keep you apart from the directions that the world demands you to take in this life!  It is the power of His LOVE.  And that LOVE is a part of your new makeup in Him!  Have a great weekend.  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”