Stumble…not a desirable thing to do, but we’ve all done it. Stubbed a toe and stumbled…. for absolutely no reason…just stumble. Then, embarrassed, look to see if anyone saw it! In the language the Bible was written in, ‘hamartano’=miss the mark. We miss the mark of our step and down we go.
Our mother has some difficulty moving around, bad knees…and we are concerned about her stumbling. A stumble could result in a fall, and worse. So…we are removing obstacles. I spent part of a day with my sister, cleaning and removing ‘stuff’ from our parents home. What looks like trash to me, looks like a treasure to our mother because of the memory it stirs. She was surrounded by things that witnessed about something pleasant.
We chose the best things. Some of them were ok…colored pages or handmade crafts, gifts from children. Half burned candles. Trinkets from all sorts of places, souveniers. Framed pictures of children who HAVE children now.
Some of the things were better. Figurines of birds and glass candlesticks. Then the best…things that belonged to my mother’s mother…photos of her grown children and her grandchildren, a small chest for jewelry that was a gift from my daddy (she has had ever since I can remember). Best things. Sometimes we have to strip off some ‘good’ things just so we can see the best things. Sometimes we have to rid ourselves of ‘ok’ stuff…just so we don’t stumble.
Life is like that. There are some things we’d be better off to let go of., or at least get off the shelf. Some friends who aren’t as committed to the Lord. Wrong friends who will get us off course. All sorts of activities that crowd in and consume too much of our lifetime. Maybe even too much religious activity. Good stuff…but so much of it that we miss hearing God’s Voice, we forfeit that quiet time sitting at His Feet….and we stumble.
‘..preserve sound judgment and discernment…they will be life for you…then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble…’ (Pro. 3: 21-23) God will give discernment. He will help us to choose the best. Trouble is, we often don’t ask Him to show us the best choices, we choose the ok stuff and miss out on so much. We cling to those ok things, and forfeit moving forward with God in adventuring into the best things He has waiting for us. We stand still and collect dust with all this ’ok’ stuff…and never see the treasures He wants to give us. And often end up stumbling on the clutter.
We all stumble. “..for all have sinned (harmartano)…and come short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23) None of us walk thru this life without stumbling and sinning…because we are not God. Jesus was the only One who lived a life without sin. He personified the glory of God. In skin. ‘ In the beginning was the Word….and the Word was God….and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us’ John 1:1,14
You can stay with the ok stuff. You can collect dust on it. Maybe you won’t stumble….maybe. Or you can run with God and ask Him to show you the better stuff, and He’ll give you the best !
‘…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.‘ Heb. 12:1
