Stub Your Toe

I have shared in recent blog posts that 2010 was a tough year for me, not only as a pastor but as a husband, father, friend and Christian. I didn't fall off the bandwagon into some crazy sin or anything (for those of you who were curious,) just lots of struggles in my mind over my calling, and God's purpose for my life. I was asking God and myself things like -- could I do what I felt God calling me to do, why is life so hard sometimes, did God really care anymore, should I be doing something else? I guess you could call it a crisis of faith on some level.

And just today as I was talking with a good friend of mine who pastor's a church in Atlanta, GA. it occurred to me what had happened and the best way for me to describe it is in a illustration. And by the way, I think this happens to all of us at various times in our life.

MY STUBBED TOE

Have you ever been strolling along, head held high and wham! you stub your toe, or trip over something? What do you do when that happens? Typically, we look down to see what we tripped on, or what stubbed our toe. Of course all this after we get up off the floor and stop crying, right! Ha ha! I believe what we do after that is paramount! Unfortunately, those types of events make us fearful of doing it again, so we become much more careful and concerned about what's down at our feet. Then rather then looking up to where we are going, we look down where our feet are ... we lose focus, we lose vision, and we lose our edge.

For me, life just wasn't as beautiful or fun as it had been in years past. I wasn't taking as many chances to do great things. I started seeing the impossibilities rather than the possibilities. I started seeing why we couldn't do a thing, rather then believing we could do anything through the power of Christ.

What about you? Have you stubbed your toe? Are you looking down rather then up? Today you can decide to LOOK UP and see the beauty of God's creation in nature and in people! You can begin to see all the things that are possible ... and do them!