Iron Sharpens Iron

Currently, the hubs and I are living in just over 400 square feet and sharing a car.  I just had that thought and marveled at the fact that it has been as easy a transition as it has.  We have been ‘on the road’ now for three solid months and have over 5,000 miles under the wheels of this bus that we’re calling home. Though it hasn’t been as challenging as I expected it to be, it hasn’t been without a downside here or there.

Tonight, I Face Timed in to my small group in Melbourne.  We’re now in Oregon, so I have missed the last three weeks due to the time change; either we’ve had a meeting that collided or I was still knee deep in work.  But ever since I hung up the computer with my Jesus loving girl friends tonight, the thought “iron sharpens iron” keeps running through my head.

Perhaps the one major downside to this trip, or the one I’m currently honed in on, is the lack of community around us.  We. . . I . . . don’t have enough iron.  The year prior to us leaving on this trip, we finally had developed a community that was faith based and grounded in growth and the bottom line is that I am missing it. . . and needing it.

As we set off on this journey, we started out strong in our church watching, quiet time and e-group routines, but have fallen off the wagon over the last month.  I can see the void now. . . it’s the hole in my soul that’s been developing over the last couple of weeks.

I texted my dear friend Gil today, just to touch base with him, in what I know, is a very challenging time in the life of his family.  He immediately called me back and said, “you must have a direct line to God” and went on to say that there had been some recent, positive developments (Hallelujah!!!).  From that call around 11 am (my time) to the the writing of this post, I’ve had the running thought that, “nothing could be further from the truth“.  I am feeling so, so far from God at the moment.

And I know I’m not the only one who goes through seasons like this.  Life gets in the way sometimes. . .  kids soccer schedules, ailing parents doctor appointments, a life-choking job.  There are 1,000 things that can. . . and do. . . come between us and the precious Jesus who is always standing there with open arms.

My pastor says that social media is just everyone’s highlight reel.  We only tend to put up the good stuff, while filtering out the less attractive bits of our lives.  I see myself doing that very filtering with every instance that I want to post something via Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat, etc.  I am simply not that comfortable being vulnerable and putting the yucky stuff out there.

The downside to that reality though, is that it gives satan room to niggle around in our souls.  Lately, he’s been telling me that everyone is better at this Jesus thing than I am.  That I’m falling short of all that God intends for my life.  And that I’m failing in what God has called me to do.

Of course his stinky reach isn’t limited to Jesus.  It could be any number of things. . . careers, parenting, relationships, appearance. . . anything he can get his grubby little hands on to keep us from the far reaching arms of Jesus.

I’m just so thankful that I can stand against that.  I can tell that nasty bugger to shove off and get away. That the bible says that I have the power to defeat any lie he is trying to tell me.  No matter what I do, no matter how fall I far I fall away from Jesus, that He is standing there with open arms.

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

And though I miss my weekly and sometimes daily interaction with the iron that He had surrounded me with, I know that He is directly responsible for this season with less of it. Perhaps what I’m really needing is to lean more into Him and let Him be all the the iron I need. . .