This past Monday, London and I decided to go on and adventure to Chick-Fil-A, and then plan to take our food to the High Trestle Trail and ride bikes out somewhere to have a picnic.
Well, plans changed, time went fast, and we didn't get out there until sunset.
So we ate in the van, hopped on our bikes, and rode through the twisty trail in the woods with just enough sunlight to see the edges of the trail.
By the time we got to the bridge and started to head back, it was pitch-black dark. Not a single glimpse of the moon to be seen, and we still had to trek back through the woods.
Thank the Lord, I brought a flashlight......but it wasn't easy holding the flashlight with one hand and riding through the hills of the trail with the other hand.
John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
While I was focusing on holding tight to my brakes and trying to keep the batteries in the flashlight from falling out and shutting off, I all of a sudden started to think about what my pastor had mentioned from the sermon given the day before:
Pastor Steve echoed God's word by saying, "Church, we can't take everything on ourselves. God doesn't want us to hold our burdens and our struggles on our shoulders. He wants us to let everything go, let Him take all the weight you're carrying, and give it 100% all to Him in your times of trials.
Now, I know what Pastor Steve meant by "let everything go" did not mean try and ride no-handed through the woods and hope for E.T. to carry us back to the van.
But what I did do throughout our adventure was set my flashlight on my bike, mount it, and trust that God would keep my flashlight shining bright through the woods, keeping my path as smooth and straight as possible.
A few hills and turns later, I was back to my Chick-Fil-A milkshake, air-conditioning, and Need To Breathe album just when I needed to breathe, drink my milkshake, and cool off!
John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
God has definitely spoken to me in ways that I never expected Him to, and in times that seem most inconvenient for me to speak with Him (just like when I was going through the woods).
And I think that in those times, the times when we don't always expect Him to show up are the times when we're least focused on Him, and more focused on the "I've got this, I can do this...on my own" attitude.
God wants us to be perseverant and He wants us to press on when times get hard for us...but He also wants us to include Him in our fights so He can show us the best way to go: the way He knows is best, which might not always be the way we think is the best way to go.
"Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life"
When we choose to walk with God instead of trying to do things on our own, life tends to go a lot smoother, even when what is right in front of us is really hard to see. We must trust in God to clear it all up.
Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
There were plenty of people out biking the trail when we were, and I can assure you, they were very jealous that we had brought a flashlight for our bike ride, and probably would love to have one.
In that very same way, when God is doing amazing things in our lives, people see it! They may not always go directly to the thought of "Wow, look at what God is doing in their life!" but more of the "Man, I wish I had what they had."
And that is the best thing to hear from someone.
"Man, I wish I had what they had."
Why I say it's the best thing to hear from someone is because it is right then and there that God has opened a window for us to share with others the amazing adventures in our life. Those adventures were once dark and unclear to us, but God made a way for us to prosper through our trials.
This really is important because everyone has trials, and when they get to see God bless us through trusting in Him through our battles, they too can experience His love and faithfulness though sharing God's message.
God intends for us to share with others about who He is, what He does, and how He makes change for good when we need Him the most. That's why I get up every Sunday morning, bright and early, or stay up way past midnight on a Saturday night going into early Sunday morning, to share what amazing things God has done through me, or through the lives of others.
Every day may not be the best day of your life, but any day could be the last day of your life.
Knowing God will be on your side through the great days, the worst days, and the very last day of your life on this earth, there is nothing to fear because God's light will shine through all darkness and will never be silenced by a negative thought, a hateful comment, an act of violence, nothing.
God's light will NEVER be covered by darkness.
With that said,
I challenge anyone reading this to not scroll all the way down here just to feel good for a little bit and then forget about God's message when struggles come up in your life, but to trust that God will shine His light upon you when you need Him; that you would pray when that light isn't visible to you, pray that He would carry you through it all, and He will.
Let God shine His light for you and through you, be a light for the world to see Him working in you and for you, and love others through it all no matter what it takes.
Live, love, and be loved.
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