Me:  PRODGIAL,  slow down!

 

Prodigal:  Sorry for running ahead, I just want to finish this.  I want to get this done as quickly as possible.

 

Me:  Lets take a break and I can share with you a story of someone else who was running.

 

Jennifer Rothschild shares in her book Lessons I Learned in the Dark.

 

Endurance isn’t a virtue if you persevere just to prove you’re not a quitter.  The point of running with endurance is to run well and finish the race–to do God’s will as we follow the course until we reach the finish line.  This means once in a while we have to assess our lives to see if there’s anything we need to get rid of.  Serious runners in a race don’t carry ice chests and portable tape players.  They don’t carry a change of clothes just in case there’s a change in the weather, and they definitely don’t have a Happy Meal in hand.  Tape players, Happy Meals, and extra clothes are all good things, but none of them are the best things to carry while running a race.

Any good thing can weigh us down if we substitute it for what is really best. 

In order to run well, we must listen to God.  He has great plans for us and knows the best way for us to succeed.  God is our Coach.  He’s run this way before, and He can guide us through the choices and help us over the hurdles.

 

The problem is that some people are telling you to take extra clothes and several other good things, but God is saying that this is not best for you right now at this time.  If we want to proceed with God’s plan, then we need to do it God’s way.  There can be no compromise.

 

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

 

Jennifer Van Allen,

 

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org