Crash and Learn

Today I ran out the door and jumped into my car.  I was late to work and for some reason my allergies were acting up and I couldn’t stop blowing my nose.  I kept looking at the dashboard clock and started to play the late game.  You know the one, where you are like, “Okay if I catch this light, run to the door and some how this minute actually has 62 seconds in it instead of 60 I should make it.”  Well as I was blowing my nose and then looking at the clock, I forgot about the other thing I was supposed to be doing at the time and that was driving the car.  I looked up to see a white car in front of me at a complete stop.  I slammed on the brakes, and stopped just short of rear ending the innocent car ahead of me.  

I sat there thinking of how much my day would have changed if I had hit that car.  That one nanosecond of a difference would have changed my day and the person ahead of mine’s day.  I doubt if that person even knew that I was about to hit them.  I sat there and was still.  I said a prayer, thanking God for my safety.  

How easy it is to get caught up in the craziness of our lives and forgot about our true blessings.  How fast it all can change.  Thank you God for saving me from so many near crashes.   Let me always remember to look at the road ahead and follow your path, so I don’t have to crash and learn.

John 15 Vine

Scripture

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will even be more fruitful.”

John 15:1-2

Observation

This is one of my favorite verses in the bible.  I love the analogy of bearing fruit.  The idea that we can contribute to this world is overwhelming.  If we remain true to God and get watered with His word then we can actually bear fruit.  How cool is it that we can actually do something good in this crazy world.  The catch is we can’t do it alone.  We have to remain in him.  I also like the idea that even after we bear our first fruits, which can sometimes be hard in itself, we are to continue bearing more fruit.  As He prunes us and makes us better we will produce more and more fruit.

 

Application

I will be confident that I can bear fruit and make a difference in my life and in this world.  I will remember that I can’t do it alone.  I must remain in God and be constantly open to his pruning.  I also must remember that the pruning never ends.  Til I breathe my last breathe God will continue His work in me.  The only one to slow it down is myself.

 

Prayer

Lord, thank you for giving me the ability to bear fruit in my life, and for making me part of Your story.  Thank you for Your Word and Your Holy Spirit who will keep pruning me until my last breathe.  Give me the courage to bear my fruit in this chaotic world.  Give me the discipline and patience to allow you to continue your work in me.  Amen.

Velvet Elvis

A couple of days ago I finished reading Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell.  This book is awesome!!  I would suggest it to anybody whether you are a baby Christian or have been in the faith forever Christian. It contains a lot of great points.  One that stuck out to me was the idea of killing your super self.  The sort of superhero you have created that you feel like you need to live up to.  Too many times I know I have tried to live up to what other people perceive me as or what I think I have to do to be successful.  Instead I should strive to be the person God wants me to be.  The closer I get to living the life that Jesus lived the closer I can get to him.  I also learned that having questions can be a good thing.  It means you care enough to make sure you got it right and the crazy thing is sometimes it is so hard to know if you got it right.  That is why being a follower of Christ is a lifelong commitment, not a one time shot.