Whew what a year it’s been! Any of you that have read my ramblings from last winter know that I struggle to ride this time of year, not due to the cold, but due to the mud. I can bundle up if needed in order to ride, but sometimes I just can’t get my bike out safely due to the mud situation around here in the winter. That being said, I did finally get out to ride recently, thank you Lord! I had taken a couple of short rides within the last month or so but these latest rides were more of what I call real rides, with some soul searching and inspiration and much more time enjoying His beauty than I’d expected or planned. Yes even in the dead of winter and mud there IS beauty around us. Sometimes once I get going I have a hard time stopping and these latest rides were like that!
To say I’ve learned quite a bit this past year would be an understatement. I’ve learned to do new things, appreciated more of the “little things”, done some disconnecting and some reconnecting. There have been moments of heart ache and joy, challenges and victories, and God has been there through it all. I am sure of that, because I could not have gotten through it to this point any other way.
I was reminded while riding about some thoughts I’ve had recently on different occasions while working in the house. Thanks to all of the rainy days preventing outside work, I thought about the saying to “get your house in order.” I’ve cleaned, reorganized, sorted, and reminisced. I’ve also reflected on the fact that we need to have our spiritual house in order, not just our physical one.
Isaiah 38:1
In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’ “
Every generation has felt like there were signs of the end times occurring and here we are again in that conversation. I’m sure we can all see signs and we all have our own “theories.” The fact remains that only God knows when that time will come.
Matthew 24:36
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
Don’t let anyone ever tell you they know when it will be. He has made it clear that only He knows that answer. Regardless of when that time comes, we need to simply be ready. So many times I hear about and see people who think they have plenty of time to prepare later, then the unexpected happens and they’re gone. Were they truly ready? Sadly I’m afraid some were not. How can we know we’re ready? The only way is by filling that “emptiness ” with Him. Jesus is the only way to have peace and joy and most importantly to get to heaven.
Too often I’ve known of those who say, “When I get ____ or once I do ____ or once I can go _____ then I’ll be happy. The fact remains that whatever you use to fill in that _____ will not fill the hole you feel. What you’re missing is not a place, a thing, or another person. We all have a place inside that can ONLY be filled by our Savior. We can try every way under the sun to fill that space, but unless we fill it with Jesus there will never be peace and contentment in our lives.
If our physical house is not in order it tends to bother most of us, but our spiritual house being out of order should bother us much more and be more pressing for us to get right. This is something we all must do for ourselves. We can pray for others that they will get right with God but we cannot do it for them, nor can they do it for us. We can attempt to tell and show them the way, but ultimately it’s a personal decision between each of us and God. I know how much I hurt when I see a loved one turn from God, so I can only imagine how much more it must hurt God. After all, He sent His one and only son to die for us, so that we could have everlasting life. John 3:16
I prefer to have my spiritual home in order first and my physical home second. If I die with unclean dishes there is still hope for them because someone else will wash them. If I die with an unclean spirit and heart, there is no hope for me.
Ramblings of a Christian Grandma Biker 