Book Club Day 1: All Men Are Like Grass

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In Your Book: Please grab your copy of FDA and turning to page 26 to read "Trail Markers." (You can also read it online in the free excerpt of the book, here.) Now Let's Talk: Today's discussion is led by Sarah Ball. In my devotion titled “Trail Markers,”  I made an analogy between my husband’s 50-mile trail run and our own lives:

“We are all engaged in a lifelong trail run. We’d like to follow smooth footpaths, but life keeps throwing boulders and logs in our way. We may hope that a relationship with Christ will lead us to an easier path, but God’s Word does not promise carefree living.”

Sometimes, in fact, we don’t even get to taste the victory we are striving for. Instead, we’re left only with the bitterness of disappointment. My husband keeps an insulting chunk of rock in his dresser. Three years ago, he attempted a 100-mile trail run over rocky terrain that takes more than 24 hours to complete. Sixty miles into the run, at 2 AM on a dark mountainside, his leg muscles gave out and he dropped out of the race. In spite of months of training and sixty miles completed, his only reward was a hunk of rock labeled “Visitor’s Prize.” The purpose of the rock is to taunt runners who don’t finish the race. Each time my husband sees it, he wants to give that race another try. I think the rock serves another purpose, though. It reminds me of the truth of Isaiah 40:6b,8.

“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field… The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:6b,8

No matter how strong or well-trained a runner may be, he or she is still a human being. As Isaiah says, our glory is like that of grass or flowers – fragile and temporary. Even the world’s best runner is only one injury away from failure. I’m not particularly comfortable with that truth. I don’t like to spend time considering how short or fragile life can be. I would much rather pursue health and strength of all kinds: physical, emotional and spiritual. I don’t want to contemplate the possibility of illness, accident or loss in my life or the lives of those I love. At about this point in my thought process, I realize that my distress levels are rising because I am focusing entirely on myself. Isaiah provides the antidote for self pity or worry with his final phrase in verse 8. “The word of our God stands forever.” What a relief! When I pull my focus back out from myself to consider the big picture of God’s kingdom, I remember that I serve an eternal, all powerful God. [Tweet "My significance is not measured by what I complete in this life."] I can accept that I am weak and vulnerable to failure, because I know I serve an all powerful God who has redeemed me. I’m okay with seeing my life as short and fragile, because I am a daughter of the King for all eternity. My significance is not measured by what I complete in this life. The challenge, of course, is holding onto that truth in the middle of daily life. How can I keep the big picture of my eternal God in focus while completing my little everyday tasks? Once again, Isaiah’s phrase comes to mind. “The word of our God stands forever.” I need the word of God to fix my perspective each day. Micah 6:8 gives me daily reminder that God asks me to do my daily tasks with justice, mercy, and humility. (See “More Than Surviving” on p. 178). When my daily tasks begin to overwhelm me, I draw more strength from Isaiah 40:28-29, remembering that I serve a God who does not grow tired or weary. (“Never-Ending Days, Everlasting God” on p. 104). As you read this blog post, my family is arriving at a new duty station. Psalm 139:7-10 reminds me that God is with me in any and every place He sends me. Our last assignment was daunting at first (I described it in “The Places We Go” on p. 140), but its very remoteness served to highlight God’s presence and blessing. Discuss: What verses from the word of God have given you a better perspective recently? Share them here on the blog, so they can encourage and challenge others.