Project Excavation

by Darla Noble

For a righteous man falls seven times and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

Proverbs 24:16

Several times a day I walk the well-worn path between our two barns. It’s the same path four previous generations of my family has walked, as well. That equals over a hundred years of wearing down the ground and in the period of time a rock was exposed. It was barely sticking up—just enough to stub a toe and make you stumble. I can’t tell you how many times I did just that. On more than one occasion I even dropped or spilled what I was carrying. And then one day I asked myself why? Why did I keep doing that? No, not dropping or spilling things. Why did I keep tripping over that rock? Why didn’t I just get rid of it?

And so I did. Using my trusty shovel I spent all of about five minutes excavating that rock (which was about the size of a cantaloupe when fully exposed) and filling the hole it left with dirt. I then took the rock and added it to the others I used to border my flower gardens in our yard.

That rock reminds me of the things in our lives that trip us up in our relationship with God. We don’t set out to intentionally do or say these things, but at the same time, if we don’t take deliberate actions to remove them from our path, they can become (in the words of today’s verse) our calamity.

Jesus wants so very much to walk beside you every step of the way throughout your whole life. And if you let Him do that, He will always catch you when you stumble. He will not let the rocks in your path cause you to be overwhelmed. Will you let Jesus walk with you?

PRAY: Jesus, Stay with me always. Give me the courage and wisdom I need to remove the rocks from my life’s path. Keep me upright and don’t let me fall into sin. In your name I pray, amen.