Walk don’t run
“but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.- Isaiah 40:31”
In this Pavlov-ian and transactional world where performance and rewards are always justified by how much you give, where everyone just wants a ‘piece’ of you, it’s so easy to fall into this trap where we apply the same theory to every aspect of our life…
From the mundane tasks, like your weekend spring cleaning…to even your relationships with those around you and even with God, do you pile all these into your “to-do tray”?
As you strive to clear the pile, have you been overwhelmed by the perpetual burn out and yet struggled to understand why after all the long hours of toiling, the finishing line still seemed so distant? That dream, that destiny still seemed like an impossible castle in the air?
In my writing journey, I can’t tell you how many times, where I write, re-write, erased, thrown pages and pages of work that I deemed as gibberish.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rushed through my thoughts and frantically published them just to get it done, just to get the reward, the thumbs-up, the praises of people which I so crave for.
While some did garner a few claps, some just fizzled out into non-existence.
After a season of repetitive vicious cycles, I felt Him stirring my heart…
He simply says…
“Does it matter? What actually matters?”
Those simple words just rang, simple, loud and clear.
And it got me thinking and reassessing…
What am I striving for?
What is the purpose?
Was it to satisfy some selfish ego inside me, to prove something to the world?
To attempt to please men, instead of serving my One and Only? (Galatians 1:10)
And in the end, like what the song says, “You can’t always get what you want…”
Jesus’ life and the lives He touched was the complete opposite…..
While we celebrate the miracles, the healings He performed, have we overlooked the journey, the stories before the climax?
What is He trying to tell us, in the story of the paralyzed man who waited for 38 years who had his chains broken with just one encounter? Or the dead being revived after much weeping and grief? Or when a dream sets a man free from what could’ve been lifetime condemnation in the prison cell? Yes, before the Shawshank Redemption and Count of Monte Cristo, there was Joseph and his dreams…
Perhaps, let’s just imagine a bit, let’s ponder a while, what could have been the paralyzed man’s journey in those 38 years? What was the backstory before Martha pleaded with Jesus to revive Lazarus? What was going through Joseph’s mind and how did he endure each and every day in those seemingly endless dark days in the dark pit?
In a world and in the nature of human to sprint towards the finishing line, let’s take a moment and reflect how we can finish the race gloriously, glorifying Him of course.
How did these miracle-recipients overcame hopelessness, despair, grief, anxiety, fear and uncertainty to ultimately be part of the most amazing plot twist ever?
Perhaps, what they experienced was not just a happy ending, but journey stories which are filled with lessons of patience, of trusting Him and Him only, of faith that refuses to give up…of looking up to Him even though it’s so difficult to lift their head. Perhaps there are times, when the ‘results’ was the last thing on their mind, when it was seemingly a lost cause, and all they have left with was hope in Him.
Let us not be sprinters, but steadfast voyagers…whom no matter what was lost or gained, is able to wait and hope on Him, whom eyes are and heart is focused on glorifying Him and the mission He has given us.
“Lord, teach me to not overlook the journey and gratify the results, but instead, teach me how to wait upon You, to run this race, the walk this journey as one that glorifies You, one that brings hope and life to other around me. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen”
