Bumps Along the Way

               

Now as Paul was going along and approaching Damascus,
suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him,
and he fell to the ground.              Acts 9:3-4

I’ve had to shovel my driveway more in the last week than I think I have in the previous couple of years. And I’ve also had to remove the snow from my sidewalk – all 104 squares because I live on a corner lot. I don’t really mind the shoveling as long as the snow isn’t too deep or too wet. But I do mind the bumps.As I run my snow shovel along the sidewalk for an initial clearing, every once-in-a-while I hit one of those raised places in the sidewalk, and it drives the snow shovel directly into my stomach.Have you had this happen?  Even when I’m trying to be extra careful, every once in a while . . .boom! . . . right in the solar plexus.I think this is the way that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can also come to us. Most of the time, God’s word to us is a word of comfort or promise or mercy. But every once-in-a-while God’s word hits us right in the gut.Sometimes it’s when we realize that there are so many people in need in this world. Sometimes it’s when we realize that God is calling us up short on what we need to be doing. Sometimes it’s when we’ve said a harsh word to someone we love and know that we need to apologize. Sometimes it’s when we feel energized by a sermon or a particular reading from scripture (more likely!).God’s word sometimes comes to us as a bump in life, an unexpected challenge, or a sudden request for us to do something that we had not expected.And that’s when we need to take notice, and do something about it.In Christ,Pastor John D. Morris, Senior Pastor