I heard an old song from long ago entitled "Ol' Buddah". It was a novelty song with a great message in it. It reminded me of my high school days when my buddy, Mike, and I sang that song (plus one more) during a Sunday night church service.
Mike stood in front, sang the lead and I played guitar and sang background, sitting on a bar stool behind him. Mike had a great voice and we launched into "Ol' Buddah". Somewhere in the song, we got tripped up and the song fell apart...and stopped. As the congregation broke into laughter (big laughter), Mike spun around with eyes wide and looked at me...while I, with eyes wide, looked at him. We gathered ourselves just enough by making a joke or two, then Mike turned back around and launched into the chorus to finish the song. Then, he went into the next song, a very beautiful ballad to The Lord. It was really something to hear. The crash of the first song was forgotten. If Mike hadn't picked the song back up and carried on, there wouldn't have been that beautiful, second song.
This just isn't a dear old memory from many days gone by. There's a very strong moral to this story: In our walk with King Jesus, things may go well for a time then we trip and fall, maybe our relationship with Him grinding to a halt. But the key is not to stop and walk away, declaring our salvation a failure. The key is to get back up and start going again. Because, the next 'song' in your life may be the most beautiful that God has for you. It's not how we start, but how we finish.
Maybe you walked away from King Jesus. Maybe, through pain, you've stalled out and are stuck in a place going nowhere. Maybe you've kept following him but from a distance, through a lukewarm or coldness inside you.
Here's the good news: As long as we have breath in our body, we can come home to The Lord. He will pick you up, heal you, and set you back on His path. In my case, he did it over a period of time. I'm so thankful he did. Those years of the stall-out were hard, but He met me where I was. There is rest from the anxiety that comes with separation from Him. The gift of salvation, restoration, and healing is offered to you by King Jesus. All you have to do is reach out and take it. He will continue a work that may take some time, but He will bring it to completion. His Love for us never changes. Get up and start walking again. You'll be glad you did.
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." --King Jesus (Matt 11:28)
"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." --Paul, The Apostle (Phil 1:6)
(Great songs, Mike. They had a lasting impact.--Den)
