Speed bump

Have you ever been driving really slow through a neighborhood when you were suddenly upon a speed bump? At that moment you must either give the car more gas or get out and push your car over the bump in the road. Sometimes in life we hit those speed bumps. We are on the right road but we just need a bit more gas or a little push to get over the trial, the tug in your heart, the addiction, the relationship mending or what ever hurtle you may be facing. 

Here in East Tennessee the January weather is absolutely depressing. Gloomy skies, snow covered grounds and plenty of time to think about what you would like to accomplish for the kingdom in the coming years. Not really a great thing for me. I have discovered if I am lucky enough to live to 80 years old then I have already lived half of my life.  If I died today would God say "well done good and faithful servant"?  Would he say "You gave your all for kingdom sake?"

What about you? Have you lived your life to the fullest for Christ's sake?

Don't misunderstand me. I have a great life. I love working in ministry. We always have a fridge full of food, A closet full of clothing and amenities abound.  But...could we live with less to make a greater impact on the kingdom? I think so. Which brings me to the speed bump. Many Christians, including myself, are happy to just sit on the speed bump and not cross over it. We go to church, we listen to Christian music, we say the right things but ... are we willing to give life a little more gas and make it over the speed bump to the other side where we are doers of the word and not just hears of the word?

Maybe Gandhi said it best while observing Christianity: " I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."  We sit in a world of amenities and look at the hurting, hungry & homeless. Maybe we even pray for them. We put on our Sunday best and then over hear others saying " I can't believe she wore that to Church!"  Hey there self righteous! Let's just be happy they are at church. We eat dinner at restaurants and throw away enough food to feed 12 hungry orphans in Africa. We get chicken in the drive thru for our children and they refuse to eat it because we forgot to ask for barbecue sauce. Hey there ungrateful! You had three meals today! The waste in our lives is excessive while the need in others lives seems so overwhelming. What could you live without? What could you give to someone else who genuinely is in need? Instead of a vacation on a sandy beach or skiing in the mountains, could you hold an orphan child in your arms and tell them about The Lord? Could you spend the week feeding the hungry and helping the homeless?

Give it some gas friends! Get over the January speed bump. Get up, get out and show Christ to a hurting world. You do not have to travel across the ocean to do that. You only have to walk out your front door and be willing to reach out to others.