The Eagles wrote a song called “Life In The Fast Lane” in the 70’s. I believe the next line went like this. “Slowly makes you lose your mind.” There are a lot of songs out there with the correct observations and they also ask the right questions. It’s what helps us to identify with others and helps us not feel so alone. The only problem with a lot of these songs is that they don’t give us any answers. I remember the songs and I used to like listening to them and also dancing to them. I just got caught up in the emotions around me as did everyone else and just hoped for a better day. This is simply how it is for a lot of people. You do what you can to make it through another day and you hope that the weekend will have some fun and good times. Life In The Fast Lane.

The title of this post has been in my mind for the past 3 days. I was wondering what I would write about as I sat down to write, this is how it developed. It brought me back to my teenage years. Most of those times have been a blur. I wasn’t very popular in high school and most of the time I felt off-balance. We just went to my wife’s class reunion and it’s interesting to see that others didn’t think of us the way we thought they did. Not only that, but we’ve all changed over the years and are different now. The bottom line is this, we all change everyday and we need to give others the benefit of the doubt that tomorrow they may also be a different, perhaps even a better person than what we saw today. Let us not judge each other harshly.

The world is constantly changing. What do we need to do to stay on top or just keep up with it? Do we allow it to take all of our precious time and energy? How can we ever find the balance? I used to use this phrase a lot, “stop the world and let me off.” Then I was off for a while and realized that this wasn’t the proper balance either. We are to live in the world but not be captivated and imprisoned by it. How in the world do we do that?

Our world teaches us to be self-sufficient, not to rely on others. Pull up your bootstraps and get going. These types of teachings are contrary to the ways of the Lord. Scripture tells us we need to be interdependent on each other. We all have different gifts and talents. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Only when we become vulnerable to each other and share our lives with each other, will things around us change. The Lord didn’t make us to be islands by ourselves, or to be self-sufficient, if you will. Church is a community of believers around the world. It shouldn’t matter where we go, if we meet a brother or sister, it should be like we’ve known them for a long time. Believers who have nothing to prove are the safest to be around. Who cares if someone has the latest revelation from the Lord? If they can’t share it from the foundation of true love, I don’t care to hear it. (Please catch the spirit of what I am saying here.) I would rather live without the revelation among a group of believers who love each other than hear the latest revelations and prophecies through gongs and clanging cymbals. I’ve been around long enough and I choose to not waste my time supporting someone’s ego trip. It has to stop. There are too many people out here dying for help. I will not help someone build a monument to themselves. I will, however, spend my time and dedication to helping others receive the help they need to be loved, healed, saved and delivered.

Imagine this scenario - Imagine people who are loved, healed, saved and free. Now, imagine all of these people doing the things that come naturally to them because of the gift of the Lord on their lives. Imagine them totally fulfilled and happy. Now, imagine all of these people fitting together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Now, stand back far enough and look at the image that is created. This is the image of the Lord. One big family, all helping each other, this is the church. This family has everything it needs and there is no lack. They don’t need to live in the fast lane, because they don’t need to do everything for themselves. This is a look at the church in the book of Acts and this is where we need to focus as our goal.

If we are believers, we have to eventually come to a place of trusting the Lord enough to be vulnerable to others He has placed in our lives. Will they hurt us and fail us? Probably! Do we need them? Yes! Do they need us? Yes! Will everything be okay? Most likely. Will some walk away from us? Yes! Will others take their places? Yes! Will some become our best friends? Yes! Will some become our enemies? Likely! On the flip side of this, some of these things will happen anyway, especially the bad outcomes. Why not choose the Lord’s way and walk in love, healing, peace, grace and mercy.

These are just some things to think about. I know that most of us are scattered around the world. I also know that this can seem to be impossible to accomplish, but it’s not. With the Lord, all things are possible. It only takes one person to change a nation, now imagine hundreds and thousands, what kinds of change would this produce. One can view this as a glass half full or glass half empty scenario. If the glass is half full, then we are waiting on it to be filled to overflowing, thus waiting on blessings and miracles. If one views the glass as half empty, then we are waiting for it to be emptied and desolate. Expectation versus disappointment is the focus and that is the direction we will go based upon our choice.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I choose to believe that while I am on this earth, I can make a difference for the good. While I am going through storms and misunderstandings I know the Lord has the power, desire and ability to change situations and peoples hearts. I enjoy seeing people touched by His love. I like seeing them smile. They are worth it and so are you. Together, we can all help each other to find our purpose and achieve our destinies. Tell someone you love them each and every day. Let others know how special they are to you. Don’t take it for granted that they know how you think, they don’t! Keep it simple. Don’t make it a guessing game. I know this isn’t always easy. I know that in the midst of the storm or deep in the desert, it’s hard to ever see a way out. The storm does end and there is a place of refreshment. Hand someone an umbrella or help them find a place of shelter in the storm and give someone a drink of water in the desert. Make it a better place for others to journey through. The early pioneers of the United States carved paths through the forests and mountains. It took a long time and was very tiring and sometimes discouraging. Now we have highways going through these same places. This is the way it is in life. We can make it easier for others to get through. We can all meet at the same place. We can help one another, but someone has to be the first to reach out and make a difference. Will it cost you something? Of course, but then it will anyway no matter what choice you make. Will it be you? Step into the river of the Lord and let Him carry you into His purposes. Check out my other post called “Hurting People.” Don’t let anything keep you from your destiny.

Joseph