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Peace and perspective from God's timeless truths. Encouragement for Today --------------------------
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Peace and perspective from God's timeless truths.
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Encouragement for Today
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[Ruth Chou Simons]
July 18, 2018
Staying the Course
[RUTH CHOU SIMONS](
âAnd I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.â [Philippians 1:6]( (ESV)
Iâll tell you a secret.
I am an artist who captures flora and fauna with the stroke of her brush. I thrive in the flourish of hand-lettered script and the delicate detail of petal and pistil. But, despite my love for nature, I may be the most non-outdoorsy mom of six boys Iâve ever known.
And yet, as they say: God moves in mysterious ways. Or as Paul says in [Ephesians 3:20]( He does âmore than we ask or imagine.â
I never imagined it a possibility, but I recently found myself asking to go four-wheel driving with my seven guys.
My secret? I have now turned into a bit of an off-roading junkie.
Youâve seen the pickup trucks with mud caked on the tires and flung up the sides, begging you to trace âWash meâ in the dirt coating the tailgate.
When we go off-roading, we drive very narrow, treacherous, single-track, rocky, dirt roads up a mountain to 12,000 feet on the side of a cliff with loose rock falling around us.
If that description isnât enough to make you fling your mom-arm out in a seatbelt save, I donât know what would.
Did I mention thereâs no cell service? No bathroom. No food trucks. And no air up there, either.
But do you know why Iâm an off-roading convert?
Because I have seen the top. Iâve witnessed views that take my breath away. Iâve journeyed the unparalleled experience of knowing that God is the creator, and I am not. And no matter how skilled an artist I may be, my most creative work will always be reflections of His handiwork. Witnessing His greatness causes the journey to be worthwhile.
When I am at the base of the mountain, strapped in tight, ready to brace myself for the bumpy, windy, unpredictable road ahead, I look to where I'm going and I fix my eyes there â at the top.
Itâs no different walking with the Lord.
None of us plan to write confusion or failure into our stories. Or pain, conflict and suffering. No one plans to struggle to love her husband, to feel helpless in motherhood, to feel lonely in ministry, or question her identity â as we so often do.
How we journey through unexpected circumstances depends on what we believe about the road weâre on. We tell our souls what to do, as the psalmist does, by preaching to ourselves and questioning ourselves and by fixing our eyes on the truth about our journey and the One who sets our course. You see, you can find hope in the present when you preach the truth to yourself about where youâre headed.
We need only to look to Godâs Word. When we fix our eyes daily on the eternal hope of Jesus, and preach that truth to ourselves, we see that no present obstacle is ever bigger than His glory.
We must believe as Paul did, âAnd I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christâ ([Philippians 1:6](.
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