Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.
The problems began when Chippie's owner decided to clean Chippie's cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She'd barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in.
The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.
Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.
Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
A few days after the trauma, the reporter who'd initially written about the event contacted Chippie's owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn't sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."
It's hard not to see why. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . . That's enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart.
Sometimes I feel like Chippie. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over, but that is not what my identity is in Christ. We all have some bumps along the way in our Christian pilgrimage and sometimes those bumps become potholes, but we should never let those bumps defeat us or silence us. The Holy Spirit in each born-again believer is a constant help in times of trouble and smoothes those bumps out because Jesus sent Him as a helper in our times of trouble. We don't have the power to handle the tough situations in life on our own, but the Holy Spirit handles those tough times and we come out of it a better person, and more capable of handling the others that come our way. Why? The Christian life is a pilgrimage and in that pilgrimage, there will be times of adjustment. Adjusting our priorities to line up with God's ways is a good beginning to getting on "God's track." We get on God's track by learning more of His ways and we do that by studying God's Word, the Bible. As the Spirit shows us the direction for our life we notice a pure path of distinction that lines up with God's word and we begin to deepen our walk to the point that things that used to be mysteries are no longer mysteries. We begin to see life for what it really is, from God's perspective, and that is a true revelation! Jeremiah 33:3 Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.
God doesn't hold back when sharing pure truth with us and when we deepen our study of His Word we begin to see wisdom from a more pure source. Paul wrote these words to the church in Ephesus in Ephesians 1:9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. The Lord's will can be easily seen when we are centered on Christ in our walk, and the Holy Spirit leads us in a better way in our lives. Jesus said this in Matthew 6:Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
When Jesus had begun His pilgrimage he had bumps along the way also. One particular bump happened in Luke 4 where in verses 31-37 Luke writes 31 Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. 32 There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.
33 Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil[g] spirit—cried out, shouting, 34 “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”35 But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.
36 Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” 37 The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region. A man possessed by a demon is a huge bump to me, but Jesus said "Be quiet! Come out of the man." The demon threw the man to the floor and it came out of him. Just a bump for the power of Jesus, and Jesus kept on going because he knew where he was going. All of this was a great witness of the power of God and people began to hear of Him in a larger area. No problem for the Son of God.
First of all, acknowledge that you need God's direction. Second, acknowledge that His direction is found in His Word. Third, commit to seek out God's Will. Fourth, follow God's will. The bumps can never stop us if we commit to God's ways and we will keep singing God's praises even when we are sucked in, washed out, and blown over!
The Pilgrimage Continues,
David Warren