Walking On

Friends, I am driven to write this morning, and really don't know what I am going to write about.  I can tell you this, wherever the Lord is leading me, I want to go there!  Lately it seems that everything I read or listen to speaks to moving on.  Are you like me?  I grab hold of something and don't want to let go - and that's not always a good thing! 
     This morning the word going through my thoughts is change.  We women are guilty of using that word a lot - I'm going to change the way I eat.  I am going to get healthy and start working out.  I'm going to change my hair - color, cut, style.  I am going to change and become something different.  That's not the change I am talking about here.  Let's talk about changing to be who God has created us to be.  Most of us probably DO need to change the way we eat and start working out, but when Jesus called His disciples, he simply said, "Come, follow me."  He didn't say, "Lose fifteen pounds so I can use you." Neither did He say, "You really need a makeover.  New hair, new makeup, new clothes....then I can send you out to do my work."  
     What do we need to change?  Those of you who know me may or may not know about my tattoo. In case you don't, I have a pretty butterfly on the top of my left foot.  I love using the butterfly to speak about what God has done in my life.  He literally transformed me.  Changed me from living a dark, defeated life to living a life of hope.  When I tell the story I often say, "God changed me from a worm crawling through the dirt to a beautiful creature full of color and grace."  The question I have to ask today is: am I really walking an undefeated path of life?  I don't think so. 
     Sometimes I get bogged down and stuck in defeat.  It's easy to look back and remember what it is I used to do, how I used to think, or choices I consistently made.  I know the Bible says Satan is prowling around looking for ways to attack me and pointing out my past is an easy way to cause me pain.  I also know I have a defense, and that is Jesus!  He has given me armour to wear so that I can stand against the fiery darts that Satan hurls at me.  You see?  I really do need to change what I'm wearing and put on my armour every day!  Am I carrying a chip on my shoulder or am I carrying my shield of faith to stop the fiery darts that Satan hurls my way?  (Look up the armour of God in your Bible in Ephesians, chapter 6.)   
     Along with that wonderful armour, isn't it equally wonderful that we are promised a fresh start every day?  The Bible tells us that God's mercies are new every morning!  Now, that should make you shout!!  When this day ends and I look back over it, I will realize I didn't get everything just right.  I wasn't as kind as I really should have been.  I wasted time that I could have been helping a friend or talking to a shut-in on the phone.  I didn't speak out for my savior.  Whatever it is that makes you feel like a failure, it's ok.  Tomorrow really IS a new day!  Glory Hallelujah! 
     Walking on, I choose to follow the Lord.  Where will He lead me?  I don't know.  What will He call on me to do?  I don't know.  What I do know is I am going where He leads.  Currently I am reading a book about two college students who left school and lived on the streets for five months.  Right here in America they gave up everything, literally, to experience the reality of homelessness.  The more I read the more I am forced to examine my own heart.  How far am I willing to go with Jesus?  Is He going to tell me to live on the streets of Chattanooga for five months?  I don't think so.  What will I do if He does?  I don't know!  Maybe a better question is will I be willing to look straight in the eyes of the next homeless person I pass and say a kind word?   
     My friends, I want to encourage you today.  Walk on with Jesus.  The road you travel will be full of new and exciting things if you are willing to look around and fully experience the journey.  It's time to let go of those things we consistently hold onto that keep us bogged down and hinder us from living as God intends for us to.  Will you go?