23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
It is very hard at times to “stay on course.” Sometimes it is much easier to just give up. We can often become discouraged in life. Forces seem to be working against everything we are trying to do. “Two steps forward, one step back.” Have you read the stories in the news about the dangers of cell phone usage when you are driving? The driving behavior is similar to the driving behavior of a legally drunk driver. In fact, text messaging impairs the driving abilities to an even greater degree. I can almost always tell if someone is driving using their cell phone. I can even see a difference when I drive using the cell phone. I tend to swerve, miss my lane slightly, make more rapid lane changes, and not pay attention to other drivers to the same degree that I do when I am not talking on the phone. My attentions get divided if I am on the phone, so my driving ability degrades. I go from being an “A” driver to a “C” driver. In 35 years of driving I have only had one accident. I have had a few close calls through the years. Those close calls happened when I had lost my focus. We can lose our focus in our faith journey with Jesus. When we get our eyes off the hope we have in Jesus, we drift out of our lane. Our spiritual walk becomes erratic. Even those around us can see that we are distracted. We move from church to church, always dissatisfied with something or another. Our devotional life is on again, off again. Our appreciation for the grace of God wanes as we increasingly get our eyes focused on ourselves. Soon we look like the proverbial dog chasing its own tail, lots of motion, but no movement forward. Our journey might have detours, but the Lord never gets off course. He is faithful in staying on course and steady as He moves with us through life.
The Arnold Journey 