Exodus 17
It only takes a few chapters into Exodus before it feels like making a cross-country road trip with a car full of children.
"Are we there yet?"
"He's touching me."
"I wanna go home."
We humans are a whiny lot.
God had just led them to water, fed them manna and quail, and still they start complaining that they'd rather be back in Egypt making bricks.
I can relate. God has led us on some journeys where I thought, did we take a wrong turn? Because this doesn't look like the Promised Land to me, Lord.
This looks like hard work for little money, lots of adversaries who don't appreciate you, dealing with immaturity and incompetence - and I'm not talking about the challenges my husband faces as a middle-school teacher!
I so often forget that God purposely led the Israelites the long way 'round. He could have taken them along the coastal route and they would have been there in eleven days. It would be the equivalent of taking a day to finish a four-year-degree, or a pregnancy lasting only 12 minutes. Why not take the shortcut?
Just as a pregnancy requires time for the baby to fully develop, God had some development in mind for the Israelites. And He does for me and you, too.
Instead of lamenting how long it takes to reach a goal, this week I will look for how God is working on my development in the process and praise Him for not letting me reach the finish line half-baked.
What strengths is God developing in you along the journey? I'd love to hear about it so we can encourage one another along this dusty path.
It only takes a few chapters into Exodus before it feels like making a cross-country road trip with a car full of children.
"Are we there yet?"
"He's touching me."
"I wanna go home."
We humans are a whiny lot.
God had just led them to water, fed them manna and quail, and still they start complaining that they'd rather be back in Egypt making bricks.
I can relate. God has led us on some journeys where I thought, did we take a wrong turn? Because this doesn't look like the Promised Land to me, Lord.
This looks like hard work for little money, lots of adversaries who don't appreciate you, dealing with immaturity and incompetence - and I'm not talking about the challenges my husband faces as a middle-school teacher!
I so often forget that God purposely led the Israelites the long way 'round. He could have taken them along the coastal route and they would have been there in eleven days. It would be the equivalent of taking a day to finish a four-year-degree, or a pregnancy lasting only 12 minutes. Why not take the shortcut?
Just as a pregnancy requires time for the baby to fully develop, God had some development in mind for the Israelites. And He does for me and you, too.
Instead of lamenting how long it takes to reach a goal, this week I will look for how God is working on my development in the process and praise Him for not letting me reach the finish line half-baked.
What strengths is God developing in you along the journey? I'd love to hear about it so we can encourage one another along this dusty path.
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