A farm kid accidentally overturned his wagonload of corn in the road. A nearby farmer came to investigate. “Hey, Willis,” he yelled, “forget your troubles and come on in and have dinner with us. Then I’ll help you get the wagon up.” “Well, okay,” the boy agreed. “But Pa won’t like it.” After a roast beef dinner, Willis thanked his host. “I feel better, but I know Pa is gonna be real upset.” “Na!” said the neighbor. “By the way, where’s your Pa anyway?” Willis said, “He’s under the wagon.”
Do you feel a bit like Pa today? Are you stuck? A man in China dropped his phone down the toilet and went after it. Rescue workers arrived to find him submerged up to his shoulder. They carefully cracked apart the porcelain bowl and pipes with a jackhammer, and the man safely removed his arm. I have no idea if the phone still worked.
In the UK, Ben Carpenter was crossing an intersection in his wheelchair when it became lodged in the grill of a semi-truck and Ben was taken for the wildest ride of his life. A pair of police officers saw the truck hurtling down the highway with the frightened man pinned to the front. They pulled the truck over and told the disbelieving driver. Thankfully, Ben was fine. With free rides like that, who needs Disneyland?
Well, chances are you’ve never been stuck to the grill of a semi-truck, but most of us know what’s it’s like to be stuck in a routine. A bad habit. An ugly circumstance. Maybe fear has pinned you to the mat. If so, here’s the best place to start: call on God. Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry and saves them.” Next, have patience. Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”
No matter how dark the tunnel, there’s a light at the other end and it’s not a train. Cling to God’s promises, keep doing what’s right, and never give up. And go looking for things to be thankful for. Remember our friend Ben in the wheelchair? When asked about his ordeal, Ben laughed and said, “Fifty miles an hour was faster than this chair was meant to go.”
