Walking the Tension
A fine line, a balance, a tension. Whatever you want to call it, it’s tough to find. It’s even tougher to maintain.
Here are a few of the tensions I’ve been trying to walk in lately:
o Knowing it is God’s mission and God doing the work, but not using that as an excuse to be lazy or unaccountable.
o Feeling sort of bored at times and unsure of what to do, but also realizing I need to be patient and still, trusting that God is working and realizing that busyness doesn’t always equate productivity.
o Looking ahead and planning my next steps while also living in the present and doing what I’m called to do now.
o Being humbly confident in the Lord. Many times I either feel broken and beaten or proud.
I listen to a lot of sermons online, and one pastor I listen to says that if you’re not feeling the tension, then you’re doing something wrong. He compares it to driving on a gravel road. If you veer to far to the left or the right, you’re in the ditch (I relate well to this object lesson – just ask my Dad). :) And he’s right. Jesus himself says, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:14) Thank God for the forgiveness he unceasingly offers when we go in the ditch, and praise Him for giving us His Spirit and Word to guide us as we walk in the tension and try to stay on the slippery, slidey, sometimes mushy gravel road. I’m so glad Jesus never went in the ditch.
