My eyes are ever on the Lord,
for only He will release my feet from the snare.
Psalm 25:15
I’m the queen of stumbling! I’ve stumbled over people, over furniture, even over a yard line marker while running the football team onto the field. Yikes! Sometimes my stumbling is funny, but frequently it causes embarrassment or even injury. Spiritually speaking, stumbling is no laughing matter.
Once on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, I took my Labrador, Chloe, for a walk in the park. All was going well, until Chloe saw the squirrel. She weighs over 75 pounds, so when she lunged toward the squirrel, I face planted on the sidewalk. The result was a black eye! Stumbling often hurts!
Occasionally, I am just like my dog. I begin walking contentedly beside my master and then something distracts me. I shift my focus from God to that which I desire. I lunge forward full force without prayer, without seeking God’s guidance, and, inevitably, I end up stumbling others or myself. Can you relate?
Shifting your focus from God to something else leads to stumbling. Paul said to the church at Colosse, So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from His perspective (Colossians 3:1-2 MSG).
To prevent stumbling you and I must keep our focus upon Jesus and what He is doing. We must make an effort daily to walk in fellowship with Jesus and seek His guidance in everything we do. Though we will occasionally stumble spiritually, God has given us great encouragement: If the Lord delights in a man’s way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand (Psalm 37:23-24).
Lord, keep my focus upon You. Thank You that when I stumble, You are there to uphold me. Amen.
Jan Burkhart
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