The Weary Traveler

The Weary Traveler collapsed in the middle of the rocky road. Handing his head in defeat, he buried his face in his hands and cried, "Lord, I just can't go any further. I'm too tired. I give up!"
Jesus knelt beside the Weary Traveler, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Look!" Jesus encouraged, pointing to the path just ahead. "It isn't as steep. There are fewer rocky places and smaller potholes. If you look farther into the distance, you can see that the path is smooth, surrounded by towering shade trees, rippling brooks, and flowers bursting with color. There's a nice place to stop and rest just around the bend. I know - I've taken this path before."

Shaking his head in dismay, the Weary Traveler sighed, "I can't go one step further. My strength is gone. I just can't make it. It's no use.

"But look!" Jesus said, pointing to the path behind them. The ground they had covered was dangerously steep, strewn with heavy, sharp boulders, deeper than a man is tall. "We've come so far. Don't give up now. To do so would be like building a house then burning it to the ground."
The Weary Traveler began to weep. "I'm just too exhausted. I can't."

Jesus smiled at the Weary Traveler, placed His hands tenderly around his face, lifting his eyes to His. Jesus' eyes radiated with a warmth and love that washed over the Weary Traveler like a sunbeam. With deep, unlimited compassion, Jesus reassured him: "You don't have to do it alone. Lean on me. I'll help you.

The Weary Traveler's tears slowed. He looked hopefully into Jesus' eyes, and with the last vestige of strength left in his body, reached out his arms to Jesus. Jesus told hold of his hands, pulled him to his feet, and firmly planted His arm around the Traveler's waist. Every time he stumbled, Jesus held him up. Whenever he started to veer off course, Jesus guided him back to the center of the path. When the sun beat down upon them and the Weary Traveler's mouth was parched dry, Jesus gave him refreshing, cool water.

"Thank you, Lord. I couldn't do any of this without You," the Weary Traveler said, wiping his mouth with a slight smile.

Jesus laughed with delight. "This is what I love doing most, My child. I was sent to help you find your way home. We'll take it slow. There will likely be unexpected detours along the way, but as long as you stick with me, we'll get there. And that, my good friend, is a promise that cannot be broken.

~Mandy Gordon

Tooth Tales

I am so thankful to God. Today I had to go to the dentist because my tooth has been hurting for a few months now. I had it filled in November but it has been hurting since then. I thought I would be told the dentist needed to polish the tooth down, but I was told that I needed a crown. The tooth had cracked in several places. He was wondering if I might need a root canal, and also a crown on the tooth next to this one, but he is trying one crown first to see if this fixes the problem.

You may think that starting this post by saying that I am thankful to God is odd, but not at all. In the past I would really be discouraged by this news as this puts us farther in debit. But not today because I am choosing to focus on the Truth that God knows our needs and provides all we need. God is good and things like this are nothing. I am so blessed and thankful!

The Power of Prayer

God is good, and I believe in the power of prayer. God has been working in our family, mending broken relationships and drawing people closer together. Darin and I have prayed for this for quite some time, and God is really kicking it up into high gear! What is neat is we have not been faithful to pray every day or even consistently for too long at a stretch. I wish we had, but we got lazy or lost faith, or got discouraged. But God honored the prayers we did pray and worked despite the many moments of doubt and discouragement I have had. I have trouble seeing only God. I tend to see the circumstances around me and get depressed. Why can't I learn from Peter when he walked on the water? At least he saw only Jesus for a few moments and actually walked on the water! I keep sinking because I look away and see the big waves and forget that they don't matter at all. God is so good and He loves us far more than we can comprehend. He WANTS to mend broken relationships. He can do anything He wants even when people don't want to cooperate. He controls even the unsaved when he needs to use them to accomplished His will. I know all this and believe it, then forget it all when a big wave comes my way. Oh that I can learn to see only Jesus!