Run Away Life

I apologize for being away so long but these last couple of months have been crazy.

For those of you who don’t know us that well, Julie and I found out at the end of January that we were being reappointed to Community United Methodist Church in Elm Grove, Wisconsin and since that time we have shopped for and found a house to purchase, arranged for new flooring, appliances and countertop, sorted through 15 years of accumulated memories, packed our entire lives into boxes, moved to New Berlin, unpacked countless boxes and tried to create some form of a “new normal” life.

What I have been learning (and not for the first time) is that “life” has a way of grabbing you by the nose and leading you from one challenge (or opportunity) to another, leaving you very little time for the things you want to do or for things you know you should do.

It’s an interesting thought...to be enslaved by our own lives. To paraphrase Walt Kelly, “I have seen the enemy and he is me.” To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, “our battle isn’t against flesh and blood (other people)”, our real battle is against our own desires, our dreams and fears.

Jesus’ message has always been that if we are willing to trust in Him He will help us re-order our lives. He can change the way we see ourselves and the way we see everything around us. Jesus can fulfill our dreams and take away our fears. This is the kind of help we all need.

So, as I watch my life run away with me I realize that I need His help. The temptation will always be to work harder or get up earlier and try to bend my life to my will. I have played that game and lost a number of times. Our help will always be found in Jesus. That’s the first thing we need to recognize and then we need to learn to lean on Him.