Where do we go from here?

Is there life after death?

Not the supernatural kind. The natural kind. Is there life for the person left behind? And the answer is a resounding YES. 

However, it’s a winding path with ups and downs, smooth and rough patches … much like life was before death. Only this time, we have to figure things out on our own. It’s different. 

It’s so easy to get bogged down and stuck in the pity party mindset especially when the weather is doing weird and wonderful things outside. I was supposed to have appointments this week however Environment Canada called for “4-8mm of freezing rain accretion”. And anyone who knows me, knows that I am a serious wimp when it comes to “weather”. It’s called fear.

I wonder how many of you identify with that. As long as the “weather” is fine, i.e., our lives are trundling along with nothing major happening, we’re happy and we’re brave. As soon as there is a bump in the road, a predicted ice storm, a crater that you manage to step into that’s deeper than it looked, our bravado departs. And we’re left whimpering in the corner. 

But to quote the words of a wonderful song by Zach Williams

Fear, he is a liar, he will take your breath, stop you in your steps. Fear, he is a liar. He will rob your rest, steal your happiness. Cast your fear in the fire ’cause fear, he is a liar

Source: Zack Williams – Fear is a Liar

Fear got the better of me. What a waste of energy! What bothers me about this, is that I know better. I know that I should take my decisions and anxieties to God, and He will guide my footsteps.

Psalm 37:23-24: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”

So again, the question begs to be considered … where do we go from here? The way I see it, is we learn from what happened today, we forgive ourselves for stumbling (because we do and we will – “though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” – Psalm 37:24), we show ourselves some tenderness and grace, turn our faces towards the Son, and take the next step. We take that next step in faith, believing that Jesus truly is our Shepherd and that He is leading the way. We know His Voice, and we follow Him [John 10:27-28 NKJV]. And believing that He directs our steps [Proverbs 16:9].

As you put your foot down, the ground beneath your foot becomes solid and sturdy. There is one caveat here. Keep your eyes on the Shepherd. That’s what happened to me. I took my eyes off Jesus and looked at the circumstances around me, like Peter did when he got out of the boat and started to sink. As soon as he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the water (his circumstances), he started to sink [Matthew 14:25-31]. I can’t control the circumstances but I can control the way I respond to them. And I choose to follow the Shepherd.

If you’d like to hear more about The Shepherd, listen to Pastor Ben Booth’s teaching (part of the “Just Give me Jesus – a series through the Book of John”) called “One Flock”

https://www.connectpeople.ca/message