Ruts in the Road or Victory in Christ?

Photo borrowed from schoolontheroad.wordpress

On our family vacation last year, we visited a site where we could view a portion of the Oregon trail. When it was used, the trail was over 2000 miles long,  traveled by approximately 400,000 settlers who traveled west over the course of two decades to settle along the Pacific coast. 

Portions of the Oregon trail can still be seen over a century later.  The ruts were so packed that in places they cut feet into the rock, and still in some places no vegetation grows in the ruts where the trail travels across prairies. 

I was reminded of the experience of seeing the ruts of the Oregon trail during a discussion at a Bible study one day. One of the ladies made the comment that sin is like ruts in a road. Sin, shame and bad habits wear ruts on our minds and our hearts like those wagon wheels wore ruts on the land. Those ruts can leave marks on our minds and our hearts for sometimes a very long time. Like wheels that get stuck in the ruts in a road we can get stuck in those lies and patterns of thinking. 

When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, at that moment, God removes the curse of sin from our lives. We are free in an instant!  While we are free from sin, the process of becoming like Christ is a journey that we're on the rest of our days on Earth, and the ruts of our sin can continue to wear on us. 

In my own journey I've learned that acceptance and understanding of my eternal home in Heaven was easy. The lessons I've learned along my journey to becoming more like Christ have been a little more difficult. Some lessons have been gradual, gentle, and I've learned them in increments. Some lessons have been an epiphany. Then there were those other dreaded lessons that bowled me over. Unfortunately, I've had to learn a few of those more than once. 

With each lesson learned and each step along the path of spiritual growth, my ruts have shrunk or disappeared. If sin creeps back in or if I allow the enemy to remind me of regret and shame the ruts start to wear again.  However, when I take every thought captive. When I remember that God has given me the mind of Christ and power over sin I don't have to let the ruts of sin, shame and bad habits direct my path. I can walk in freedom and victory in Christ.  

TRANSITION
Webster’s Dictionary:  passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another, a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another
Who doesn’t want change?  Only problem is we don’t usually want to change.  We left Bethany House, our ministry home for the past six years, and moved to a “modern” and much smaller home we call, Stella’s House.  Our leaving was two-fold: our host for the past six years, the Episcopal Church of the Messiah, decided to utilize the former rectory, our Bethany House, as an office; secondly our new 501c3 group, Bethany Community of Hope desired a home for women to heal and transition from a life of addiction or abuse to a life of wholeness and purpose.  We wanted to leave, but we didn’t want to leave.  Does that make sense?  So, as the deadline for us having to move grew closer we were pressed into action.  It was almost a relief—I mean our choices were narrowed down for us. I think in major life transitions, this happens often as we think we are in control of the transition only to find outside circumstances seem to press into our comfort zone, requiring us to take action.  And usually it is before we are entirely “ready”. 
You know this is exactly what happened to the nation of Israel as they were pressed into leaving their “predictable life” of generational slavery and move into a vast unknown destination.  They had no frame of reference for what took place from the first time Moses spoke to the leaders about their upcoming exodus from Egypt and their actual departure. God’s supernatural chain of events in the form of plagues forced them into looking at God in an entirely new way. He was actually intervening in their lives.  And then when they were told to pack up and get ready to leave after the first Passover they must have felt it all very surreal.  What would it be like to leave Egypt?  Generation after generation after generation were born, lived, and died there.  What would it be like to go on a journey with a cloud by day and a fire by night?  From where would their food, water, and shelter come?  How would they live out their lives?  Would the transition be good or bad?  What were they to learn from their experience in the desert?  How would it change their lives?
Change and transition have been around since the beginning of time.  It is part and parcel of the human condition.  But, does it make it any easier?  Does it affect us each in a different way?  Can we prevent change from happening? Does God expect us to change? No, Yes, No! Yes!
God does expect change—it is called repentance.  We stop what we are doing, turn and go another direction.  We stop agreeing with sin and begin agreeing with God’s Word.  We receive a new birth; we become a new creature in Christ.  Acts 3:19 says “So you must change your hearts and lives.  Come back to God, and he will forgive your sins.”
No, we don’t know everything about our new direction through transition, but we take a step of faith and move forward with the assurance that God will never leave us or forsake us.  At Stella’s House, women will have an opportunity to move into a new dimension of living away from addictions or abusive lifestyles.  Will it be easy? Probably not.  Will there be problems too big to handle?  Probably so.  Will there be events along the way that will catch them off guard?  Yes. Will you have all the answers?  Probably not, but you will be pointed to the One who does.  As with the nation of Israel, this is not a journey to take alone.  There are others who are also on a journey, transitioning and maturing through life, or as the Bible says, “going from glory to glory”.  Let us embrace our journey and the changes along the way.  Let us help our sisters when they fall.  Let us love each other during the uncertainties we face.  Let us point each other to God and learn of His great love for us all.  Happy trails……

Sherry Poe

Moving Day...

Bethany Women of Hope have moved from our beloved Bethany House to our new location:  Stella’s House of Hope, our transition home for women.  Thanks to Casie and David Ehrig and their “home group” of movers and shakers.