A Holy Path
by Dawn Okrasinski
Monday- 7.18.21
Years ago, I was practicing as a Chemical Dependency Counselor for adolescent boys. I came up with an idea for group members to provide concrete feedback to those who made excuses when sharing their plans for change. Paper rocks, fashioned out of wrinkled brown paper bags, were stacked up in a small woven basket and placed on the floor in the center of the circle. If someone came up with a reason not to change or played the blame game, a member would pop off their chair, grab a rock, and toss it down shouting, “Rock in the Road!” The faltering teen would then have to acknowledge the obstacle in their path to recovery. The rocks would remain in the middle of the floor as we went around the circle. At the end of the hour, we would discuss the personal sabotage before us. Rocks that appeared as tripping hazards at first glance, would become prospects for growth once they were turned over and realized as an opportunity instead of a barrier.
We have our own rubble too. Hurdles stacked awkwardly by sin lean against impediments constructed by our own wrong thinking. Not to mention the daily tumbles we take when we choose the world first and God second. But Jesus, symbolized as that stumbling stone mentioned in the Gospel, offers us a clear path to righteousness and forgiveness when we acknowledge His sacrifice for us.
The children of Israel also were called and offered this truth, but generations of believing in lineage instead of promises compelled them to seek law and works as the way to God. Isaiah 8:14 (NIV) He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem, he will be a trap and a snare. And like the Israelites, some folks fall prey to their own rubble consciousness which keeps them seeking their own salvation confident they will get it with one more tithe or good act. Yet, to be accepted or called is not dependent on our actions, but God’s choice. Paul writes in Romans 9: 15-16 (NIV) For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
As I read Isaiah, I think of my boys rounded up in a circle trying to get it right while flinging paper rocks. I know God already had a plan for them before they even saw the light of day. I pray I was part of that design. I wonder who made it out of generational trauma to counsel others about self- imposed barriers. Did they then share the sweet grace when they found Jesus? What I do know for sure, is the human condition remains the same. The stories get repeated until we are God “touched” by something or someone whose purpose is to block our path and help us transform. God calls who He calls and saves who He saves for a much bigger picture than we can see. When we accept and honor the sovereignty of God in faith, we rise above ego and replace human effort with humility. We walk with freedom along a Holy path. Spirit led, we can then say with confidence, “Thy will, not mine, be done.”
Call To Action:
Please pray, read and reflect on the following scriptures this week.
2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV) He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
Romans 9:33 (The MSG) Careful! I’ve put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion, a stone you can’t get around. But that stone is me! IF you are looking for me, you will find me on the way, not in the way.
Eph 1:11 (CEB) We have also received an inheritance in Christ. We were destined by the plan of God, who accomplishes everything according to his design.
Reflection:
1. CH Spurgeon said that when you go through a trial the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head. Why do you think he said that? How would you support this with scripture?
2. Was someone used by God to stand in your way? How did their courage and honesty help you transform for God’s purpose? How might you do the same?
3. You have a God Story. Take time this week to prayerfully ask who to share it with and open a path for God’s will.
