TITLE: Shortcutting Causes Soul Erosion -
On a hike my friends and I read a sign that said “Horses must stay on the trail”. Well of course we wondered why and jokingly came up with the idea that horses knew that taking short cuts on a trail will start to cause soil erosion and lead to deaths of flowers, grasses, and scenery. As we kept hiking a thought came to me and took my attention back to the phrase “Shortcutting leads to soil erosion”. I realized that it can apply to more of life then just soil; it applies also to the soul.
So I sat down and decided what things I shortcut from my life; such as waking up and running in the morning and getting exercise, eating healthy meals and not just junk, and getting good amounts of sleep there are also spiritual shortcuts like skipping on reading the Bible daily, not praying, and not fellowshipping with others or encouraging others or being encouraged. The big shortcut that I discovered from the summer is endurance and giving up and not persevering on tasks before me.
As a housekeeper I have days where we clean five rooms and all of them have dishes in the sink, tons of hair in the bathtub, sheets on the floor, and rocks in the carpet. I want to just sit down and call my boss and tell him that I can’t take it anymore and that I’m done for the day. I knew if I did that my boss would think I’m not a very good worker and my co-workers would be angry about me not pulling my load.
This also happens on hikes. Some hikes here in the Tetons go straight up with very few spots of even ground. By the time you get anywhere your legs are tired and your lungs hurt from the strain. While I was hiking Hanging Canyon I felt this way and I wanted to stop and turn around so bad. As we kept pushing on the view became magnificent looking at Jenny and Jackson Lake below us and gorgeous Goat’s Head and Lake of the Crags ahead of us. If I would have stopped hiking then I would not have had these amazing views and I would’ve missed the snow/ice tunnel!
I realize that perseverance needs to happen in all aspects of life like the spiritual or physical ones. I don’t read the Bible or pray everyday. I don’t run or do crunches everyday. I loose sight of the ending and ongoing benefits and only see instant gratification. I loose sight of the awesome, life after death and think that right now is it. I don’t build up very much before sleeping or computer time take over what little things I did.
In Romans 5:3-5 it talks about perseverance: Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Perseverance is the first things mentioned because without it the other things won’t come. If you don’t push through then your character would be wimpy and easily give up on things. You can’t be that way to follow Jesus. Some days are prime days of thinking Jesus doesn’t care; it’s easy to just give up with that thought. God makes us strong so that we can truly believe and hope that what He says is true. I’ve learned to persevere through hard days at work and on long hikes because in the end I know there’s going to be an amazing view. I learn to do things without complaining and my boss looks at me as a hard worker and I can look into a canyon and see God’s majestic beauty created for me to enjoy. So I encourage you to persevere and don’t give up. Sometimes it’s ok to be hard-headed!
22 September 2009
Last Sermon
Overall the ministry I was involved with was a good experience. It started out rough but I learned tons and really realized just how big OUR God is!!! The last service happened on August 30th. After that all the ministry people were leaving to go back to school. So that morning Katelyn, Lee, and I got to stay at Signal and we did a special service where each of us talked about what we learned this summer. Below is my sermon, give or take, but it keeps hitting me that this is really the big thing God has enlightened me and shown me what I lack……………………
TITLE: Shortcutting Causes Soul Erosion -
On a hike my friends and I read a sign that said “Horses must stay on the trail”. Well of course we wondered why and jokingly came up with the idea that horses knew that taking short cuts on a trail will start to cause soil erosion and lead to deaths of flowers, grasses, and scenery. As we kept hiking a thought came to me and took my attention back to the phrase “Shortcutting leads to soil erosion”. I realized that it can apply to more of life then just soil; it applies also to the soul.
So I sat down and decided what things I shortcut from my life; such as waking up and running in the morning and getting exercise, eating healthy meals and not just junk, and getting good amounts of sleep there are also spiritual shortcuts like skipping on reading the Bible daily, not praying, and not fellowshipping with others or encouraging others or being encouraged. The big shortcut that I discovered from the summer is endurance and giving up and not persevering on tasks before me.
As a housekeeper I have days where we clean five rooms and all of them have dishes in the sink, tons of hair in the bathtub, sheets on the floor, and rocks in the carpet. I want to just sit down and call my boss and tell him that I can’t take it anymore and that I’m done for the day. I knew if I did that my boss would think I’m not a very good worker and my co-workers would be angry about me not pulling my load.
This also happens on hikes. Some hikes here in the Tetons go straight up with very few spots of even ground. By the time you get anywhere your legs are tired and your lungs hurt from the strain. While I was hiking Hanging Canyon I felt this way and I wanted to stop and turn around so bad. As we kept pushing on the view became magnificent looking at Jenny and Jackson Lake below us and gorgeous Goat’s Head and Lake of the Crags ahead of us. If I would have stopped hiking then I would not have had these amazing views and I would’ve missed the snow/ice tunnel!
I realize that perseverance needs to happen in all aspects of life like the spiritual or physical ones. I don’t read the Bible or pray everyday. I don’t run or do crunches everyday. I loose sight of the ending and ongoing benefits and only see instant gratification. I loose sight of the awesome, life after death and think that right now is it. I don’t build up very much before sleeping or computer time take over what little things I did.
In Romans 5:3-5 it talks about perseverance: Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Perseverance is the first things mentioned because without it the other things won’t come. If you don’t push through then your character would be wimpy and easily give up on things. You can’t be that way to follow Jesus. Some days are prime days of thinking Jesus doesn’t care; it’s easy to just give up with that thought. God makes us strong so that we can truly believe and hope that what He says is true. I’ve learned to persevere through hard days at work and on long hikes because in the end I know there’s going to be an amazing view. I learn to do things without complaining and my boss looks at me as a hard worker and I can look into a canyon and see God’s majestic beauty created for me to enjoy. So I encourage you to persevere and don’t give up. Sometimes it’s ok to be hard-headed!
TITLE: Shortcutting Causes Soul Erosion -
On a hike my friends and I read a sign that said “Horses must stay on the trail”. Well of course we wondered why and jokingly came up with the idea that horses knew that taking short cuts on a trail will start to cause soil erosion and lead to deaths of flowers, grasses, and scenery. As we kept hiking a thought came to me and took my attention back to the phrase “Shortcutting leads to soil erosion”. I realized that it can apply to more of life then just soil; it applies also to the soul.
So I sat down and decided what things I shortcut from my life; such as waking up and running in the morning and getting exercise, eating healthy meals and not just junk, and getting good amounts of sleep there are also spiritual shortcuts like skipping on reading the Bible daily, not praying, and not fellowshipping with others or encouraging others or being encouraged. The big shortcut that I discovered from the summer is endurance and giving up and not persevering on tasks before me.
As a housekeeper I have days where we clean five rooms and all of them have dishes in the sink, tons of hair in the bathtub, sheets on the floor, and rocks in the carpet. I want to just sit down and call my boss and tell him that I can’t take it anymore and that I’m done for the day. I knew if I did that my boss would think I’m not a very good worker and my co-workers would be angry about me not pulling my load.
This also happens on hikes. Some hikes here in the Tetons go straight up with very few spots of even ground. By the time you get anywhere your legs are tired and your lungs hurt from the strain. While I was hiking Hanging Canyon I felt this way and I wanted to stop and turn around so bad. As we kept pushing on the view became magnificent looking at Jenny and Jackson Lake below us and gorgeous Goat’s Head and Lake of the Crags ahead of us. If I would have stopped hiking then I would not have had these amazing views and I would’ve missed the snow/ice tunnel!
I realize that perseverance needs to happen in all aspects of life like the spiritual or physical ones. I don’t read the Bible or pray everyday. I don’t run or do crunches everyday. I loose sight of the ending and ongoing benefits and only see instant gratification. I loose sight of the awesome, life after death and think that right now is it. I don’t build up very much before sleeping or computer time take over what little things I did.
In Romans 5:3-5 it talks about perseverance: Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Perseverance is the first things mentioned because without it the other things won’t come. If you don’t push through then your character would be wimpy and easily give up on things. You can’t be that way to follow Jesus. Some days are prime days of thinking Jesus doesn’t care; it’s easy to just give up with that thought. God makes us strong so that we can truly believe and hope that what He says is true. I’ve learned to persevere through hard days at work and on long hikes because in the end I know there’s going to be an amazing view. I learn to do things without complaining and my boss looks at me as a hard worker and I can look into a canyon and see God’s majestic beauty created for me to enjoy. So I encourage you to persevere and don’t give up. Sometimes it’s ok to be hard-headed!
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