I saw the strangest thing this week. For about three miles, I drove behind a man on a scooter who was balancing two 2" by 4" twelve foot pieces of lumber, creating a huge V. Each time he turned a corner, I expected him to topple over. Staying a safe distance behind, I kept praying he would keep his balance so I would not run over him. At the first stop sign, I desperately wanted to jump out of my car and scold him for his lack of common sense. Once a mother, always a mother!
Yet what a metaphor for our lives! If we can maintain our balance, we can live in the V, the victory. Storms, sharp turns, and our own weaknesses attack our spiritual equilibrium. The apostle Paul anticipated such a ride for his brothers and sisters in Christ, because his letters offer both exhortation and encouragement. Note his balanced approach when writing to the Corinthians.
"He [Jesus] will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought."
1 Cor. 1:8-10, NIV.
In this passage Paul prefaced his "criticism" with a victory declaration. He had no doubt they would overcome in Jesus Christ. His intent was to remind them who provides the balance and the victory, which is also ours in Christ. Let's live in peace, unity, and strength, perfectly balanced in our journey.
By the time the man on the scooter turned his last corner, I had traveled from criticism into awe. Let's show the world the same kind of balance.
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