Lacing Up My Boots

I just started to lace up my boots for this hike, Backpacking Through Joshua.  You need to lace them up tight to start this hike.  As I go on this journey, I have to remind myself not to run ahead and wear myself out.  I can do that sometimes.  I like to pour over maps before we camp and travel, so I know exactly where we are going.  No GPS for me.   I don't want to lose my navigational ability.  This trek through Joshua will help with my "navigation through life" skills.


As I read Joshua 1, I was immediately struck with the Army commercial on TV, "Be All You Can Be."  Couldn't they also easily put in "Be Strong and Courageous!"??  Reading the first few paragraphs makes me sit up a little straighter and want to study a little harder.  I want to follow the law better and be strong and courageous.  It also reminds me that God does keep His promises, but we do have to follow His rules.  It has a lot of similarities to being a parent.  It made me think that the Israelites were in "time out."  It is not that they were not going to get the land the Lord promised them, they just had to wait.  It reminds me of grounding my own kids.  It is not that they will never get their phones back or never go out with friends.  It is just that they have to follow my rules for those things to happen.  I try to scare my own kids a bit when I ground them.  I am sure Joshua was scared at that point, so I understand why the "Be Strong and Courageous" was in there.


Do you think as the Israelites got the news that they were going to finally cross the Jordan River that they felt like the guy who just won the Mega Millions lottery?  I imagine that is how they felt!  Like, Really?  Now?  Are you serious?!  The willingness to move on is like submitting the ticket - - - Let's go now and make sure this is all really happening. 


As I question God about what is keeping me from being able to do what He's calling me to do, I get an answer loud and clear - WORRY.  I know God is faithful and I want to follow His will, but I get anxious and worried.  It all comes down to timing.  I have to remind myself that my timing is not God's timing.  I have to go through the list of God's faithfulness in my head to remind myself that it all really does work out for the best, even if I don't realize it at first.  It is like I need a Faith Maker, you know like a Pace Maker.  I need it to zap me when I start to worry.  A little ZZZZZZ and it will remind me not to worry and that it is all in God's hands.


I really like the word Faithful.  I have a cousin named, Faith, so I perused the Bible verses with Faithful and I got a good feeling from them.  I decided to look Faithful up on dictionary.com and the definitions included:


1.  true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.
2.  reliable, trusted, or believed
3.  having faith, remaining true, constant, or loyal.


Just try putting some of those definitions in the verses and it works.  


When I think about what made me decide to go on this hike, it is because I saw this as a great way to connect with God in a way that fits with all I do, but to keep me connected to real people.  Plus, I have to admit that having Stacey put it out there was key for me.  I know that I would not have found it on my own, so God used Stacey to point the way for me.  I am praying that reading and studying Joshua will make me a better and more faithful follower.  I get doubtful at times.  I worry and get anxious. I get impatient, so hopefully this will be yet another example of God's faithfulness that I can add to my pool.  I tend to read the New Testament over and over, so I am hoping to get reacquainted with the Old Testament by reading Joshua again.


God has been faithful to me/us in many ways, but I will only share two of the more current ones.  The first is my husband's health. He was having some health problems that are genetic, but also made worse by stress.  God was good in that He helped us find a good doctor and moved him to a job that is less stressful.  His health has benefited tremendously.  God was also faithful in sending me to Kenya.  I was able to come up with the money [with a little help from my older sister].  Not only that, but God gave my Mom a last minute chance to go with me and she grabbed it.  It may not sound like a big deal, but my Dad has Huntington's Disease.  My Mom got her shots in a week and my younger sister agreed to have my Dad stay with her while we were gone for a life changing trip to the Mathare Valley.


As I go through Joshua in the next 6 weeks, I hope to grow in faith.  I may still need my zap occasionally, but I'll take the zap with a deep breath and then say a prayer.