Sliding On Thin Ice And Standing Firm

March 3, 2015|Sandra Sheridan||Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Relationships

Today’s verse is written by my dear friend and mother of two, Julie Sanders. Thanks, Julie!

1 Corinthians 10:12 “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Sunlight sparkled through every ice-coated branch against a backdrop of baby blue. I welcomed the warm light after days of gray seclusion during the storm. Finally free to venture out, I grabbed an obligatory pair of gloves and jumped into the car without hesitation. I couldn’t miss the thick patches of snow layered over ice on the pavement, so I slowed my pace and navigated accordingly. Confident that no hazards remained, I approached the main road a regular rate, pressing the brake at the usual spot with the usual force in my routine. The tires locked as I slid helplessly towards the intersection on thin ice I hadn’t seen, didn’t expect and wasn’t prepared for. We can’t be ready for every hazard on our journey, so we have to live in a state of readiness.

Slick patches in life take many different forms, often appearing as a single hazard made of layers. The foundation may be made of pride, compounded by selfishness, and topped off with lust, or the threat may consist of entirely different obstacles altogether. Like seasonal changes and unique drivers, peril for one may be different than peril for another. What we do know is that we will all encounter risks and we will all be taken by surprise. People who don’t live ready live in the wreckage of regret.

No one has experience with every obstacle life throws our way. Winter weather paralyzes neighbors in my southern city, because they have little experience in it. Instead of insisting on first-hand practice for every potential, God gives us a practical guide for readiness. By listening to the wisdom of His word through real stories of real faith, we arm ourselves with understanding for the journey hazards. Out of others’ experiences emerge examples for us to follow.

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)

In every season of life we are vulnerable to hitting unanticipated slick spots. We lose traction in a moment of carelessness when we let our guard down, arrogantly assume we are invincible, and coast along certain that we’re more insightful than less-informed chumps. When we’re sure we’ve got it together, we’ve already lost our grip.

To “fall” is to come down from a higher to a lower place, to be flat out, thrust down and emptied of prosperity. It doesn’t take much for a self-confident person to hit a hidden hazard and go sliding across the layers of broken relationships, damaged integrity, and a crippled reputation. It only
takes a small patch under a smug heart to leave us thrust down, flat out and empty, wondering why we didn’t heed instructions left for us by the God in whom we can stand.

If you’re sure you’ve got it together, you’ve already lost your grip. Perils await on your path today, even if the sun is warm and the sky is blue. You won’t see them coming, but you don’t have to slide helplessly on a course set for destruction. Expect them; prepare for them. Whatever your route today, you can be ready to stand firm.

Julie Sanders believes God’s peace covers every day. She and her husband of 25 years have a college daughter and high school son. She loves local history, coffee shops, herbal cooking, dangling earrings, and cross-cultural ministry. Julie is the Executive Director of Street Hope TN, a faith-based non-profit fighting domestic minor sex trafficking. She is the author of Expectant: 40 Devotions for New and Expectant Moms and is a contributing writer for The MOM Initiative and The MOB Society. Julie blogs at Come Have a Peace .

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Sliding on thin ice and standing firm