Waited too long

So we had an interesting adventure/stress attack on our way out of NOLA today. When we got in last night we were running out of daylight but wanted to try and see the cemetaries and other sites in New Orleans, LA before the sun went down so even though I needed to get gas I decided I would simply get it in the morning on the way out (makes sense). So we enjoyed downtown N.O. including Bourbon Street which had loads of entertaining features and some delicious New Orleans style food (complete with the most delicious homemade beignets I have ever had (sorry Cajun Queen). Morning comes, we load up and hit the road, now it's time to get some gas. My wife suggests that we get out of the hectic downtown area first with it's tiny streets and narrow turns since we are in a 16' Penske truck with a car trailer behind us and seek out a gas station off the major highway where there will be much more room and hopefully much less stress. We get on the highway only to discover that we are now crossing over water on a bridge that doesn't appear to be ending any time soon and there are no exits in site (which means definitely no gas stations). GPS says the closest gas station is 50 to 90 miles away depending on what I want to pay for gas (like I care at this point). Oh, did I mention? We were on EMPTY! I know what you're thinking and no, this is not one of those "I prayed for gas and miraculously we made it 50 to 90 something miles on empty" no, instead we discovered a gas station only 7 miles away that wasn't originally listed on GPS (don't get me wrong, I recognized God's handywork there and gave Him the glory, but that's not the thought I want to share tonight).

Why is it, that since abiding in Christ is so crucial for a Christian that we wait so incredibly long in the journey to discover this and actually start implementing it in our lives? In the same way that we needed gas or we would be stranded on a narrow bridge in the middle of water, Christians continue to choose to put themselves in the same pricarious position day after day. We supposedly have tghe Holy Spirit dwelling within us and therefore have access to the great intercessor whenever we want to, PLUS we have the Bible which is the translated inspired inerrible word of God, sharper than any two edged sword readily available in paper or digital form...yet we waste it. Many of us avoid praying and reading our bibles simply because we are busy, distracted, intimidated, lazy, tired or scared when instead we should be soaking, absorbing and marinating in these things almost as often as we take breath. If I do not get some time in my Bible and in prayer every morning my day is off, plain and simple. And yet I still miss a day here or there and the days that I do get into it I don't spend near enough time in it as I should. Why? One word, priority. It's not high enough on the list. Yea, it's on the list, but not at the top...we have things like family, friends, social life, career and other things above it and all the while those very things are suffering because we place them too high priority. Those things are important, don't get me wrong. Jesus taught about the laborers in the field, the brother of the prodigal son and many others that illustrated that working is good. And the 10 commandments include honor your father and mother so family is clearly important. Then in Proverbs it talks about a three strand cord is not easily broken and woe to the man that has no one to pick him up when we falls down, so clearly friends are important too. But inspite of all that, Jesus also told the guy simply wanting to bury his dead father to "let the dead bury themselves and come follow ME". HARSH! All that to say, those things are important but not most important. Jobs end, friends come and go and people all ultimately die. But our walk with God determines ETERNITY!

In that moment on that bridge today, nothing mattered to my wife and I except getting gas in the truck. When your perspective changes, your priority changes and your priorities will NEVER change until that perspective changes...so how do we change our perspective? In my experience, it starts a little at a time, trusting God and seeing what He does with it. Challenge yourself to read your bible every day for a week, then a month and so forth and so forth and see what God does with it. Do the same thing with your prayer life. It's not easy, I still struggle with it. But it's worth it and that motivates me to keep trying.