The Ring of Fog
". . . Let us throw off everything that hinders and
the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race
marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of
our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb.
12:1b,2)
The sun was rising over a cloudless sky, the promise of a beautiful day. It
would be one of the few rainless days we had experienced in this, the
rainiest summer on history, and I, for one, was smiling.
As I rounded the corner of my regular running route, I couldn't help
noticing the wall of fog ahead of me. I didn't give it a passing thought,
other than to ask myself what it might feel like to pass through fog. After
all, it only extended about 10 feet in the air, and it wasn't very thick.
I didn't pass through it, however. In fact, it seemed that the wall of fog
was moving at exactly the same speed I was, always staying just a few dozen
metres in front of me. But when I reached my "half-way" mark and turned
around, guess what I noticed in front of me? That same wall of fog!
Again, I didn't give it much of a passing thought, except to notice that the
fog again seemed to be moving in the same direction I was, at about the same
speed.
Soon after this, my run was interrupted by my dog. She was enjoying a few
minutes of freedom off her leash, and she was several hundred metres behind.
As I turned around to call her off of the "interesting" scent she was likely
sniffing I noticed something amazing: I was standing in the middle of a
perfect ring of fog! The sky above was clear, and I had not noticed passing
through any fog as I had jogged down the road, but somehow, and without even
noticing it, I had been running right through the fog all along!
Amazed, I decided to pay strict attention, and as soon as I exited this
particular country road, the air was suddenly crystal clear. While the fog
hadn't been thick enough for me to notice it while I was in it, I could
definitely see the difference now that I was out!
It suddenly occurred to me that the ring of fog was a lot like temptation.
Sometimes sin is very big, and we realize it is there, but most times
temptations are subtle, and if we don't pay attention to the initial signs,
we will soon find ourselves enveloped in them. Once inside, it isn't always
apparent that we're in the wrong. The world looks pretty clear to us. Only
when we've allowed Jesus to completely remove us from that sin do we again
see clearly.
As these thoughts came to me, I couldn't help asking: "Lord, this is a
message specifically for me, isn't it? What is this 'fog' I've been walking
in?"
The answer was immediately forthcoming: Control!
It's true. God has been revealing to me of late that I have this fascination
with being in control of everything. When things don't go the way I've
planned them, I stress and get upset. I do everything in my power to make
them go my way again. Just like running in the ring of fog, I never realized
there was anything different, anything better. But of late, God has been
working on my heart to leave complete control to Him, and when I've done so,
it's amazing how peaceful I feel, how much clearer life is, how much happier
I feel!
Control may be my ring of fog today, but I will likely have a different one
tomorrow and your ring of fog may be something completely different. Search
your life. Ask God to show you if you are inadvertently walking in fog, and
ask Him to help you come out of it!
Friends, what is YOUR ring of fog?
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Mother of two teens, Speech-Language
Pathologist, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet
newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian
devotionals and inspirational poems,
www.scripturalnuggets.org ,
with Answers2Prayer Ministries,
www.Answers2Prayer.org