One of our former pastors (that’s a depressing phrase, but I digress…) had a catchy little way of summarizing spiritual growth. He would tell the congregation that as they followed the Lord, the bumps in the road wouldn’t get smaller, but their shock absorbers would get bigger. It was a folksy metaphor to explain how our growing faith and maturity are increasingly able to absorb big honking trials/challenges and stabilize quickly.
While his axiom wildly oversimplifies the complexities of walking through a long, dark difficult trial (chronic illness, death, prodigal spouses or children, financial loss), there is a nice dollop of truth in his words.
Many of us are navigating some roads with potholes the size of Lake Erie named Wall Street, Main Street and Watching My Real Estate Investment Evaporate Into Thin Air Avenue. We may end up on an unpaved road taking us to a destination we never dreamed we’d be traveling in these next months and years. Each time we exercise dependence on our God here, now our shock absorbers get a little more resilient. We navigate uncertain terrain while our soul’s GPS is directing us homeward on Christ’s narrow road.
Today was one of those days when I thought of those shock absorbers. A book proposal sitting at a publisher for nearly 6 months – including an encouraging e-mail a few weeks ago inquiring whether the work was still available – today netted a no. It was a really nice, encouraging no, but the no was the shape of a pothole. Ouch. ouchouchouch.
But I can feel the rebound in my heart: “My heart bursts its banks, spilling beauty and goodness. I pour it out in a poem to the King, shaping the river into words…” (Ps. 45:1 Message).
In Your time, my King…and for Your glory.
Boing.
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