I went for a long run the other day, and I had a bit of a revelation hit me. Nothing earth-shattering, or even all that new to my thinking, it was just a sweet little picture of truth that came to my mind.
I was skirting on the shoulder of a road. There was a guard rail between me and the river, and I enjoyed the softness of the shoulder rather than the firmly paved road beside me.
Running along, a branch jutted into my path, and as I came up on it, I noticed very sharp thorns! I stepped toward the center of the road, and then returned to the soft trail on the shoulder. That’s when it hit me…
If we want to avoid thorns, we’re wise to stick close to the center of the path!
Isn’t that the truth? If Christ is the center – then the closer we run beside Him, the safer we are. We can hope that the thorns can’t mess with us when we cling to the Center!
As I came back along that part of the route, I thought of those thorns again. One thought I had was that I am wiser than I was earlier – now I know where to expect the danger of those particular thorns. Isn’t it great that we can learn from our past? Yeah. I agree.
As I skirted by the protruding branches, I thought about life’s thorns. You know, sharp painful jabs into the flesh that strike us unsuspectedly as we’re navigating a trail…
Some of the thorns that have struck me have left scars. But as I reflect on the instances where I was stricken by thorns, I realize that ultimately they did me a huge favor. They instructed me. I learned things I did not know before. I saw things I hadn’t previously been able to see. I understood what I hadn’t comprehended before the piercing blow.
Isn’t that just how it is? We can consider it all joy because God’s wounds can be trusted. He doesn’t let things come into our lives unless they will ultimately work for good. (See Romans 8:28)
Just thought that was worth sharing. I hope that if you’re suffering from a stabbing wound, you’ll be encouraged that God is sovereign over all. He knows what we need. Sometimes, we need to be snagged by thorns, so we’ll slow down, even stop in our tracks. There’s something He wants us to see that we can’t see as we’re speeding along.
If God lets something painful into our lives, it’s usually because He has some work He wants to do in us. He’s clever that way. He works everything for good to those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)
Trust His wounds.
