This morning I had to pick up my dog at the kennel. Usually that is not too much of a problem, but today it was an especially big problem. You see, the kennel is out in the Pigeon Hills, and the road leading up to the kennel was completely covered with ice. The long driveway that twists and turns usually is not cause for concern, but today it was next to impossible.
Once I got there I could see another car unsuccessfully trying to get up the hill. In fact, I learned from that driver that there were several others that had gotten stuck along the way. Well, I waited until it was my turn. He was out of the way and I thought I could make it, so I started up the hill. Once I started up, I quickly realized that I was not going very far because I literally started sliding back down the hill. Now that is a scary feeling when you think you are going up, but you find you are actually going down, and not really sure where you are going to stop.
Fortunately I did not slide out onto the main road, and I did not have any real difficulty except the embarrassment of not being able to go forward. The lady in charge of the kennel did what needed to be done. She had the right kind of equipment - a four-wheel drive vehicle - and she got in it, put the dogs in with her, and drove down the hill. She knew what she was doing, where she was going, and she had the right equipment to do the job. So, she delivered our dogs to us at the bottom of the hill.
This experience today caused me to think about many different situations when life is just like trying to get up that hill. You think you are going forward and the next thing you know, you realize you are really sliding backwards. That can be really depressing and very discouraging.
Chuck Swindoll wrote a book about that - One Step Forward, Two Steps Back. It surely expresses our sentiment, does it not? I found that in those times when you feel like you just cannot go forward, when you feel like you are falling back and nothing else seems to help, there is a verse in the Bible that is wonderfully appropriate. It is Jude verse 24 (there is just one chapter in that tiny little book in the back of the New Testament).
Jude verses 24-25 says, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."
My friend, when you get that feeling that you are sliding back and there is just nothing you can do to hang on, I encourage you to read Jude 24 and 25 as a reminder that He is able to keep you from falling. Instead of picturing yourself trying to hang on and go forward, let Him reach down and do the job. He has just the right equipment - the strength, the power, the wisdom, and all that it takes to reach down and pull you up. Why? Because He is our Father. Let Him do it for you!
About the Author:
Dr. Ann Shorb is a
Christian counselor, speaker, and writer.
