Don’t Get Tripped Up!
The Olympics bring the Best of the Best to the world stage in athletic competition. They are, literally, a microcosm of the world and showcase not only incredible athleticism but all the emotions and drama that come along with being human. If you are 45 years or older, you will probably remember the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles. Emerging from the shadows of competition were names like Mary Lou Retton, Carl Lewis, and Greg Louganis.
Two other names would become prominent but not because of a gold medal hung around the neck. These names would be highlighted because of a collision. Mary Decker, of the United States, was running in and was favored to win the Women’s 3,000 meter race. She was leading but, about midway through the race, an 18-year-old from South Africa, named Zola Budd, made a move to try and overtake Decker. Whether it was intentional or not, Budd cut in on Decker a bit too soon and they both became entangled in each others’ legs and feet, ending up sprawled across the infield of the track, allowing the other racers to move ahead. Budd recovered and finished the race but Decker was down for the count with an injury to her thigh.
Does your life feel like that race? You thought you were doing pretty good until, out of nowhere, you found yourself tumbling headlong into the dirt. As Christians, we may think we won’t stumble or fall and we have everything seemingly under control. However, we all know that isn’t the case. There are things that happen that will cause us to trip but we must constantly be on guard against them. The apostle Paul had something to say to those in Galatia who allowed things to take them off track. “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth.” (Galatians 5:7, ESV).
So, let’s briefly investigate some things that cause us to stumble as we try and live for Jesus: Things That Trip Us Up, Obstacles That Get In Our Way, and Things That Distract Us From Our Goal.
Things that Trip Us Up. These are small, sometimes unseen things that we may not pay much attention to but will, if we are not careful, make us stumble. Have we become complacent and comfortable in our relationship with God? Are we consistently reading God’s Word, desiring to get to know Him better? Are we just “going through the motions”? Have we put our fellowship with other believers on the back burner while we pursue other interests?
We live in days that certainly put a strain on our mental, emotional, moral, and spiritual condition. If we are not careful, the things of this world will undoubtedly cause a misstep or two. In Ephesians 5:15-16, Paul states, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Pay attention to the path you are on and make sure you don’t take the “small stuff” for granted.
Obstacles That Get In Our Way. An obstacle is an obvious interruption to the path we are on. Sometimes we can push them aside or jump over them if they are not too large; other times we may have to go around them to avoid them. What kinds of obstacles do we encounter while trying to live a life that is pleasing to God? Here are a few things to consider. You can probably add many other things to this list.
Religiosity: do we attend church purely out of obligation or do we look forward to sharing time to praise God and learn more about Him with other believers? Politics: do we hold to and spout our political views more than we declare the goodness of God and the Good News of Jesus? Relationships: do we have relationships that are getting in the way of our growth in Christ? The Calendar: are we allowing our schedule to become so busy that we have little time left over for God to use?
Things that Distract Us from Our Goal. Distractions are nothing more than shiny bait that may look interesting but take us off the path and pull us away from reaching our goal. It is easy to become distracted these days, especially because of the technological advances we have become accustomed to. We have pretty much anything we want at our fingertips with our cell phone. We can buy anything we want, order food, watch a movie, get directions, check on our portfolio…and even call someone. What are some other distractions?
Things. Stuff. Accumulation. Nothing is wrong in having things, but it is entirely unacceptable for a Christian to allow “things” and a materialistic mindset to overtake their relationship with Jesus. We must keep our focus on what really matters.
World events invade our world all the time and most certainly affect us in some way. The question is, however, have we allowed what is occurring in the world (locally and internationally) to impact us to a point that we have taken our eyes off Jesus? Have we allowed fear and worry to replace faith and trust in our loving Savior?
Paul likens the Christian life to a race. Not a sprint, mind you, but a marathon where endurance is the key. We certainly don’t want to be weighed down with a lot of “stuff,” especially over the long haul. In Hebrews 12:1 he says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set out before us.” (ESV)
Knowing Jesus and submitting one’s life to Him is THE BEST decision a person can make. However, after the decision is made, there is this thing called life that must continue to be lived, only now under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Will we live perfectly? Will our life be filled with nothing but all things good and wonderful? No. While we are on this earth, we will be hounded and plagued by things that want to disrupt and try to destroy our relationship with our Creator. We must, however, make a conscious decision to stay close to Jesus, even if we fall and trip. If that happens, know that God is there to lift us back up!
