“But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing good.” 2 Thessalonians 3:13 CSB
My dear pastor friend, Mike Cooke, taught me this parable about journeying through life with others:
Two people are driving down the road together on a journey. They are tracking with each other, both moving at the same speed, both growing together. But then the car gets a flat tire and they have to stop. They pull over to the side of the road and fix the flat tire. Once the tire is fixed, the driver is ready to get back in the car and start back on the journey. His buddy on the other hand, has decided he likes it here by the side of the road. He doesn’t want to get back in the car, he wants to stay right where he is. Now the driver has a decision to make, he can either stay here on the side of the road with his friend, or he can keep on going by himself. There have been many times in my life when I’ve gotten in the car and kept going. There are other times in my life when I’m the person who wants to stay right where I am, content to sit on the side of the road.
Here is Mike’s point, our journey with God is one that we have to choose to engage in every day. When we get up in the morning and decide to follow Him, our lives will change. He will use us, He will grow us. But if we get up in the morning and decide we are content right where we are, He’ll let us sit there. He won’t be able to use us, we won’t be able to grow. Every time we choose to sit on the sidelines we miss out on the adventure God has waiting for us. Our journey with Christ, persevering through the struggles of this life, is how God molds us into who He created us to be. Through our journey, we become a new person, no two journeys are alike, just as no two people are alike.
Jesus is a gentleman. He knocks on the door of our hearts, He doesn’t force His way into them (Rev. 3:20 CSB). He will help us fix our flat tires though, our broken hearts that make us not want to get back on the journey again (Psalm 147:3 CSB). And most of all, He’ll transform us into who He created us to be with tender love and grace (2 Corinthians 5:17 CSB). Today, when you help someone fix a flat tire, understand it may not be literal. Instead, the flat tire you might help someone fix is a broken heart. An act of loving kindness to someone whose heart is hurting helps to heal the hurt, it helps them get back on the road. The tools to fix it, God has already given you. You can listen to their heartache, you can offer them a warm hug, you can help them get back on the road again by taking the first step with them. Life is a journey we only get to do once here on earth, let’s make the most of it.
