Roll 'Em

Several years ago I spent a short time on crutches, and it gave me a new respect for those parking places marked, "Handicapped." How tempting it is to wheel into one of those close-to-the-door parking spots, scoot in and back out so quickly no one will notice or be denied. My "oh, I'll just be a minute" excuse still defies the bottom line: no parking!

Do you ever have trouble with parking places? Satan offers free and alluring parking spots for the mind and spirit. Well, big deal -- who needs the best parking space at Life's Dump! Anyway, why are the nastiest, darkest, and most hopeless places always so attractive? Please tell me why we so mysteriously drawn to those parking places that offer nothing but a grand view of the pits? God would not have us park there at all; actually, He instructs us to keep moving -- yes, keep moving! "Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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." (Hebrews 12:1-2) Just as water loses its freshness and clarity when it stops moving, so do Believers who linger and park by circumstances, mistakes, defeats, anger, discouragement, worries, and fears. Just like the Wagon Master yells, "Roll 'em," we must keep moving with eyes fixed on Jesus, generously giving ourselves away with smiles, hugs, phone calls, and encouragement to others who also are tempted to wheel into Satan's parking lot. Barbara Johnson suggests, "keep sowing fun and sunshine in your life, planting seeds of love." We're all on our way to a much better place, so let's keep moving and ... remember, no parking!