When Life Derails You
We all have dreams of how our lives will progress, anticipating each eventful moment with great pleasure. In our mind, we can see with such clarity how it will all be. What do we do when life does not go the way that we have planned, when all our dreams seem to come crashing down around us?
A couple of months ago, a young man named Austin, was faced with these questions. With eager expectation he
arrived for a bicycle trip in the Cascade mountains with friends. Things did not go as planned. The rear derailleur broke off the frame leaving him with no way to shift gears or keep tension on the chain preventing it from riding off the aft gears. Austin had a choice; he could call it quits, sit out the day, and blame the bike for ruining his plans, or he could work with what he had and continue to the best of his ability. To this young man’s credit he kept going and it wasn’t easy! Without the derailleur, the chain kept slipping, spontaneously shifting and popping off the gears. It took a lot of extra effort to keep going and keep up with the group. Not letting this mechanical malfunction get in the way, Austin pressed through and kept a positive attitude the whole 13 mile ride. On the way back, with a little creative ingenuity, the group linked a couple of bike cables together for a tow line and Austin was blessed with a tow by one of the stronger young men in the group. What a surprise reward for all the effort it took getting there!
How many times in our lives do we run into situations where life derails us, when our plans and expectations are not met? It happens to us all. The spouse that we thought we knew when we married turned out to have a few flaws we didn’t expect. Our life of “bliss” and happiness is turned into a day to day wrestle with our hearts, trying to keep our heads above the emotional water line. This is not what we expected when we married Mr. or Miss Right! We knew there would be a few challenges (muscle fatigue and saddle sore) but not major “equipment” failure.
Just like Austin we also will (and do) face such circumstances. Do we find strength to work with what we have on hand or give up and look for where to place the blame?
Remember when the Apostle Paul was wrestling with the Lord about a thorn in the flesh that would not leave. The Lord told him; “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”(2 Cor. 12:9) It is so important for each one of us to walk with the right perspective. Paul found his strength in the Lord; it is there for each one of us also. When we allow the Lord to work in and through our struggles and our weaknesses, then we give Him opportunity to perfect His power in us. We need the grace of our Lord Jesus to be our sufficiency on a daily basis.
Like Austin’s struggle with a dysfunctional (ineffective, malfunctioning) derailleur, when life derails you, will you keep going the extra miles with a positive attitude, not wanting to miss out on what God has in store for you as you press through your weaknesses? “If we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2 Tim 2:12). The joy of
being “towed” by God will outweigh any struggles we experience today!