The Road That Leads to Joy

I felt ready to make the transition from being merely a believer to becoming a true follower of Jesus Christ.

God’s Word really started to come alive to me and inspired me to get my priorities in order. But I knew it would require me to lay aside things that had become a distraction, things like a past relationship with my ex.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

I sometimes found myself wondering what he was doing and with whom. It became a major distraction, both mentally and emotionally. Talk about distracted driving!

I knew allowing God to do a new work in me required me to be intentional in not being sidetracked. It wasn’t sinful to think about the possibility of us getting back together, but it had become a major weight that was hindering me from moving on with my life.

Sin is not the only thing that can sidetrack your faith journey. The distractions that become personal priorities can also sidetrack us. These distractions may be good things, but they can monopolize your time and energy from truly following after God.

For me, this distraction hindered moving forward in my faith, because I felt like my relationship with God was dependent on whether God would put my marriage back together or not. I tested God,

“If Your Word is so true, then do this! And do that.”

God was able to show me that was not the way He was going to demonstrate His power. As much as I wanted my ex’s heart to change, it was in my heart and in seeing my desires change that His truth and power became so real.

I was not made to tell my ex’s story. I was made to tell mine.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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. (Hebrews 12:1)