I hope you watched the little 3-4 minute video above. If not, what I have written won't make much sense.
Ok, let me just start by saying...WOW! Sadly, this is a pretty accurate description of what my life has been like...complete with helmets and all :-o LOL!
BUT, with that being said, God is making some changes in my life :) They are small changes. They are on-going. It'll probably take me years, but I am a work in progress and my hope is to one day be free of "the beam". Yes, there will be days when I make great strides forward only to fall further back. There will be days when I get stuck in the mud or fall flat on my butt, but not trying at all is much worse and is not acceptable. I don't want to stand before God tangled up in my safety net or with a beam strapped to my back and expect him to be pleased.
Please don't misunderstand what I am saying...no works, no deeds, no lack of a safety net or balance beam will ever be good enough to get me into Heaven. It is ONLY by grace (through the saving blood of Jesus Christ) that I have my name written in the Lambs Book of Life. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace, you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast".
I'm talking about standing before the judment seat of Christ and I think this is what Chan is referring to in the video. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, "For we" (meaning believers in Christ) "must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad".
I do home school (and I feel God is calling me to do this for the time being...and for me and others I know, homeschooling is a crazy and radical thing to do for the Lord) so I have no plans to change in this department...lol!
....BUT I will mention one area that has had a stronghold on us that we (with God's help) are working to change. Although we do not live in a gated community, we do have a gate...and a fence. By keeping this gate closed all the time, we have, in a way, shut ourselves off from everyone else living on our street. To put this into perspective...when family or friends happened to drive by and saw the gate open, they called and asked, What is wrong? Why is your gate open? Did you forgot to close it? See what I am talking about?
The street dead-ends at our driveway. There's a really long story to why we have the gate in the first place, but the main reasons are 1) because everyone thinks our street goes all the way through to the other Hwy so we get a lot of strangers and traffic driving right up to our bedroom window and 2) because we have a sort of a blind turn off the road (especially when the vines are not cut back) and into our driveway, so before you know it, you are stomping on the brakes to keep from hitting a kid zooming by on a bike. Anyway, what started out as a wonderful safety measure when our kids were outside playing in the yard, playing in the driveway, or riding their bikes has turned into a fortress of sorts...keeping us in and everyone else out. I am happy to say, for the past few days, unless it is nighttime, or the kids are riding their bikes, or playing in the driveway, the gate has been open :)
This little gate story may not make sense at all to you, but it makes perfect sense in my mind of just one of the ways God is helping me let loose of "the beam".
On my own, I can't do anything, but with God's help, I know I can let loose of my beam :)
On a side note...This song below, Breaking Through, by Audrey Assad is one of my favorites and is such a beautiful description of the journey that God has me on.
....BUT I will mention one area that has had a stronghold on us that we (with God's help) are working to change. Although we do not live in a gated community, we do have a gate...and a fence. By keeping this gate closed all the time, we have, in a way, shut ourselves off from everyone else living on our street. To put this into perspective...when family or friends happened to drive by and saw the gate open, they called and asked, What is wrong? Why is your gate open? Did you forgot to close it? See what I am talking about?
The street dead-ends at our driveway. There's a really long story to why we have the gate in the first place, but the main reasons are 1) because everyone thinks our street goes all the way through to the other Hwy so we get a lot of strangers and traffic driving right up to our bedroom window and 2) because we have a sort of a blind turn off the road (especially when the vines are not cut back) and into our driveway, so before you know it, you are stomping on the brakes to keep from hitting a kid zooming by on a bike. Anyway, what started out as a wonderful safety measure when our kids were outside playing in the yard, playing in the driveway, or riding their bikes has turned into a fortress of sorts...keeping us in and everyone else out. I am happy to say, for the past few days, unless it is nighttime, or the kids are riding their bikes, or playing in the driveway, the gate has been open :)
This little gate story may not make sense at all to you, but it makes perfect sense in my mind of just one of the ways God is helping me let loose of "the beam".
On my own, I can't do anything, but with God's help, I know I can let loose of my beam :)
On a side note...This song below, Breaking Through, by Audrey Assad is one of my favorites and is such a beautiful description of the journey that God has me on.
I hear ya! I was challenged when I saw this video, too! Actually, most of what Francis Chan says challenges me ... and shakes me up a bit! :)
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