Do you remember those old word problems from school? You know, the ones like ‘Ted is leaving Montana driving 75 mph towards Memphis while Jim is leaving West Virginia driving 63 mph also heading towards Memphis. If they both left at 5:00pm, who will arrive first?’
This is when the head scratching started for me, and I would consider how far does each one have to go, how many times they have to stop for gas, if they stop at rest areas, and how often, and so on and so on. I can overthink most anything, and these word problems gave me ample opportunity to indulge into this favorite past time of mine. I mean, I’d even take time to consider if their tires were new or old, and how many miles were on their respective vehicles.
Then at some point I’d always come back to the ultimate question, which was (of course), ‘who cares?’ After all, I didn’t know Ted or Jim and what difference does it make to me who gets to Memphis first?
Sometimes I wonder if we don’t think of our Christian walk like these old types of word problems. We look at Ted, and think ‘he’s moving at a good clip, he’s got it together, he’s getting to heaven for sure!’ Then we look at Jim and think ‘man, he could do so much more, he’s moving but not like he should, he may or may not make it to the heavenly destination!’ We won’t even talk about Joe still back brushing his teeth down in Tallahassee. After all, he hasn’t even gotten moving yet.
Truth is every person can only move at the pace they are able to move, at a speed which they can manage, in the shape and form they are given to travel. Some may ride a bicycle while others a Harley, some might drive a new Ferrari while others an ole Yugo. Some move fast; some move slow. Some barely move while others fly into the depths of faith.
The important part is that their destination is the same, that they long to serve Christ Jesus, to walk in step with the Spirit, and to ultimately find their way home to the Father. The challenges of traveling the Christian path are simply more taxing on some than others.
I think of the 5 or 6 year old I saw riding a bike down the side of the road in Belize, with their younger sibling (I’m guessing) on the handlebars, going somewhere. It’s just the two of them traveling down this tiny road as cars fly by them. Their lot in life and mine are not the same. Yet my life is worth no more than theirs. Their place in life was no more chosen by them than mine chosen by me. I pray their destination is the same as mine, and that they join me there someday!
Our verse for today comes from 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV) which reads-
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
Almighty Father, who hast given us many blessings, help us to remember to be good stewards of Thy gifts and use them for the good of one another, that we might please Thee by giving up what was not ours to begin with to the glory of Thy will; through Christ Jesus Thy Son our Lord, who with Thee and the Holy Spirit are One God, world without end. AMEN.