I remember many years ago when I was first studying for my Learner's Permit. I was a bit intimidated by all of the information. I remember obsessing over all of the road signs and symbols, wondering if I'd recall their meanings when time came to take the test. Thankfully, I did; I passed the test on my first try. But then, I had to learn to apply my newfound knowledge on the road.
Now, that was the real test. Could I turn book knowledge into real life application? Well... let's just say, the road proved to be a different beast. Unfortunately, the road test didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped the first time... or the second time...
But you know what they say..."The third time's a charm." In my case, looks like "they" were right. I don't know what happened, but when I got behind the wheel with my cranky driving instructor on the passenger side, things went south... fast!
After running a couple of stop signs, and getting stuck while trying to parallel park, I knew, I had a long road ahead. No pun intended.
I think this is the perfect metaphor for life. There are some things we know in our heads, but when time comes to utilize conventional wisdom and put the knowledge we've acquired into practice, we often fall short.
It's not because we don't desire to excel and do well; but during our tests, we sometimes lose our focus. And everything we've learn along the way is nullified.
Consequently, we end up having to repeat the same test over and over and over again.
And there are few things more frustrating than repeating the same test... getting your hopes up... and failing ... repeating the same test... getting your hopes up... and failing ...repeating the same test... getting your hopes up... and failing ...
But for some of us, it takes that. We have to keep bumping our heads against the same brick wall before we accept the truth. Tragically, some individuals NEVER learn the lessons, and end up in a perpetual state of discontentment, discouragement, and depression.
They blame God for their unhappiness, but what they fail to see is, God tried to show them. He let them experience the cold, hard reality of continuing along the same path, but they didn't listen. They ended up stuck in a rut, without ever passing their road test.
"God tried to show them. He let them experience the cold, hard reality of continuing along the same path, but they didn't listen."
Thus, they never received license or permission to move ahead to the next level.
So let me ask you. What brick wall have you been running into for far too long? What do you plan to do about it? What changes are you willing to make? What sacrifices are you going to make in order to stop the vicious cycle?
God has been trying to get your attention. He still is. But it's up to you to heed His voice and make the necessary changes. In the end, the choice is exclusively yours. God's not going to force you to make adjustments. You have to voluntarily change.
If you're willing to learn from your mistakes... tweak, shift, and modify a few things, you can move beyond this test. And when you do... you'll feel so good about your decision.
Decision time is here. What's it going to be?
Only you have that answer.
Thanks for reading, and until next time... may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna Hobbs
www.eewmagazine.com
