". . . Let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race
marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12:1b,2)
The sun was rising over a cloudless sky, the promise of a beautiful day. It
would be one of the few rainless days we had experienced in this, the rainiest
summer on history, and I, for one, was smiling.
As I rounded the corner of my regular running route, I couldn't help noticing
the wall of fog ahead of me. I didn't give it a passing thought, other than to
ask myself what it might feel like to pass through fog. After all, it only
extended about 10 feet in the air, and it wasn't very thick.
I didn't pass through it, however. In fact, it seemed that the wall of fog was
moving at exactly the same speed I was, always staying just a few dozen metres
in front of me. But when I reached my "half-way" mark and turned around, guess
what I noticed in front of me? That same wall of fog!
Again, I didn't give it much of a passing thought, except to notice that the fog
again seemed to be moving in the same direction I was, at about the same speed.
Soon after this, my run was interrupted by my dog. She was enjoying a few
minutes of freedom off her leash, and she was several hundred metres behind. As
I turned around to call her off of the "interesting" scent she was likely
sniffing I noticed something amazing: I was standing in the middle of a perfect
ring of fog! The sky above was clear, and I had not noticed passing through any
fog as I had jogged down the road, but somehow, and without even noticing it, I
had been running right through the fog all along!
Amazed, I decided to pay strict attention, and as soon as I exited this
particular country road, the air was suddenly crystal clear. While the fog
hadn't been thick enough for me to notice it while I was in it, I could
definitely see the difference now that I was out!
It suddenly occurred to me that the ring of fog was a lot like temptation.
Sometimes sin is very big, and we realize it is there, but most times
temptations are subtle, and if we don't pay attention to the initial signs, we
will soon find ourselves enveloped in them. Once inside, it isn't always
apparent that we're in the wrong. The world looks pretty clear to us. Only when
we've allowed Jesus to completely remove us from that sin do we again see
clearly.
As these thoughts came to me, I couldn't help asking: "Lord, this is a message
specifically for me, isn't it? What is this 'fog' I've been walking in?"
The answer was immediately forthcoming: Control!
It's true. God has been revealing to me of late that I have this fascination
with being in control of everything. When things don't go the way I've planned
them, I stress and get upset. I do everything in my power to make them go my way
again. Just like running in the ring of fog, I never realized there was anything
different, anything better. But of late, God has been working on my heart to
leave complete control to Him, and when I've done so, it's amazing how peaceful
I feel, how much clearer life is, how much happier I feel!
Control may be my ring of fog today, but I will likely have a different one
tomorrow and your ring of fog may be something completely different. Search your
life. Ask God to show you if you are inadvertently walking in fog, and ask Him
to help you come out of it!
Friends, what is YOUR ring of fog?
Lyn Chaffart
, Mother of two teens, Speech-Language Pathologist, Author and Moderator for The
Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website
devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems,
www.scripturalnuggets.org , with
Answers2Prayer Ministries,
www.Answers2Prayer.org
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.