I had a conversation once with a man whose heart was full of the shiny new life of a young faith. It’s that period of time when the hunger for God is fierce with zeal and the yellow brick road is lit up like a runway. The adventure was just beginning, and his courage was great, his thoughts were clear, and his heart was certain that on this road he would remain. A newborn faith is often this way; a tender fledging, needs some safe time to grow into their skin. Heaven’s armies surround this young heart as the Spirit of God makes his home inside. These are the days that a person of faith shouldn’t forget; the incubation of the soul brimming over with joyful trust.
But incubation is temporary and would be stunting if we remain there. Growth requires movement and strength comes through resistance. This is when things can get a bit shaky. It isn’t that heaven‘s armies have abandoned us, but rather a time when we must learn to guard our own hearts as we venture along. Resistance can frequently look like a blackout, and along with our vision our courage can evaporate into the darkness. The shiny new life can quickly grow dull with cynicism and anger, shedding the joy like a snake, its skin in the dust. It’s much easier to get bitter than it is to hold onto joy. Bitterness can be a built-in default mechanism whereas joy needs to be cultivated. Joy takes intentional thought focused on the blessings of an overall life; while bitterness can just flow in the veins, bursting a capillary in the flare of a moment. We all have choices to make when the darkness envelops us. We can stay on the path, slow and steady until the lights come back on or we can run into the jungle furiously hacking our way through the bush. It can be scary either way. But with the recollection of the incubation comes the assurance that we are not alone. We are reminded that there is One who dwells in us, whose courage never fails, whose vision is ever sharp, and who’s heart will never leave us.
The man with the shiny new faith has been lost in the jungle these days . He seems to have lost his way in the confusion of the dark; the memories of the warm incubation have been buried underneath the hacked up bush. I hope he can find his way back to the road soon. You see, it’s not yellow brick, like he thought, but it is well-worn by the feet of many faithful souls of centuries past. It is hard-packed and solid from a lifetime of the hard-won joy of prayers and promises fulfilled.
“Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them for they are the key to life…Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
Proverbs 4:13,23 NLT