Double Dare

When my sister and I were kids, living in the limestown town of Bedford, Indiana, we loved the game show Double Dare.  You got to play all these cool games, earning points, and by being victorious you made it to the final round, The Obstacle Course.  In fact, we loved the same so much that we'd go to our backyard and make our own Obstacle Course.  Challenges, at least in our game, give us more, please, we loved 'em.

When it comes to listening, following the will or our Lord and Savior, why's it then that the challenges become frustrating, obstacles are no longer bringing that joy, laughter and excitement.  It's in real life, when i've overcome the challenge, I want some sort of down time, I certainly don't want another, not yet. 

In Mark 2, were told a story where friends of a paralyzed man, find a house where Jesus is.  They know, because of realy faith, that if they can just see him, to touch their friend, he could be healed, to walk again.  Challenged, yes, defeated, no.  You see when they got to this house, it was a standing room only event, "sold out."  It didn't stop them, they looked for another way to meet this man Jesus.  So they do whatever they can, they meet the challenge and yes, they succeed.  They cut a hold in the roof of the house, lowered him in, and when Jesus saw this, it was simple, 'stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!' How cool is that?  Because of their unwillingness to let the challenges beat them, they made it through an obstacle course, but, instead of winning  a video game, their friend could walk again.

But I struggle, the challenges stack up and I quickly turn in fear.  Its Gods voice I am listening for, but what if I can no longer hear, him.  But maybe, just maybe, its because of all the distractions I can so quickly place in my life, I can't hear him like I need to hear him.  Like it says in 1 Thessalonnians 4:11, "Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed." To better understand the challenge, the course that he's given, perhaps I need that sense of "quiet," where the world isn't constantly overtaking my thoughts and direction.  Instead, Jesus, he's the one I'm listening to, no doubt about it. 

And shoot, I gotta laugh...when my sister and I painted our slide with peanut butter, making it a challenge to reach the stop, yea, those were some fun times.  It isn't fun, however, painting my life with things that make it a challenge to reach the top, where God's at, patiently, waiting.