fight the good fight

An excerpt from Furtick's book, Sun Stand Still:

"All the good stories start with adversity. All our favorite plot lines are made up of major conflict. Of course, we wouldn't choose to write our own stories that way. We want our stories to jump straight from the promise of deliverance to the after party in the Promised Land. We like to watch other people cross through the middle of the Red Sea with an evil empire closing in. But we'd prefer for God to build a bridge over our troubled waters - and destroy our enemies before they get within striking distance.

It doesn't work that way. It can't work that way. Because you'd never see how strong God is if there were no opponent for him to overcome in your life."

After a humiliating defeat against the town of Ai, Joshua is stricken with self-pity and depression. He blatantly questioned God's purpose and wondered whether he would ever recover from his setback.

The Lord said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?" -Joshua 7:10

After realizing and coming to terms with many of my own personal set backs, failures and inequities, it's hard to not cry about past defeats. But what God calls us to do is stop whining and obey Him completely in the present moment. As I was reading this part of the book, I looked out of the school bus window and across the horizon. I saw the blazing sun rising over the pink waters of the Caribbean and said to God, "I'm frustrated and tired of failing." Right then, a homeless man was walking on the curbside and on his shirt was a 5 letter word: (You're not going to believe what it said)

TRUST.

Alright, thanks God. You know what you are doing. And again, your timing is perfect.

It's so hard to do sometimes. We fight with all that is in us only to realize that it's not about us or our strength. It's not about our good works or our self-righteousness. It's not about continuing to wallow in our sin and knowing that the Lord's grace will cover us. It is about handing over our lives and CHOOSING DAILY to follow and to glorify Him.