Tug of War

Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

HEBREWS 10:22

HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED the game tug-of-war? Were you on the winning or losing side? Did you get pulled back and forth, or were you the force doing the tugging?

Tug-of-war is a challenging game because we get yanked from one side to another. Sometimes it seems like we’re the only ones pulling, and other times it seems like our efforts are weak and pointless as we get yanked around by the strength of others.

Tug-of-war is a lot like how it feels when we want to obey God but our friends want us to do something different. Inside, we may feel certain we need to go in one direction, but outside, our friends tug and pull and try to get us to go another direction. And it can be confusing, especially when the outside forces seem like fun.

God knows we have this challenge at times. That’s why he tells us in the Bible to trust him. He knows what’s best for us. He’ll take care of us. We can have faith that when we follow what God says, we’ll never be pulled in the wrong direction.

DO

Tie a long string like a shoelace or piece of yarn to a shoe. Place the shoe on a rough surface, like your carpet or a rug. Get on the floor and pull the shoe toward you using the string. How much effort does it take?

Now move to a smooth surface, like a tile or wood floor. Pull the shoe toward you again. What’s different? How is pulling the shoe along the smooth surface like what happens when we fully trust God to lead us in the right direction?

PRAY

Dear God,

Thank you for knowing what’s best for me and for leading me that way. Please help me remember that I can always follow your directions and know I’ve made the right choice. Amen.

READ

1 Corinthians 10:13; Philippians 4:19