Tacks In Our Shoes

So many people are miserable. No really. It's like their walking around with a tack in their shoe. A simple 30 minute trip to my local grocery store is a harsh reminder to me of the fallen world I live in. Before I even get to my parking spot, I hear one woman screaming profanities at another woman from her car. As I'm reaching for the paper towels, I can hear a husband yelling at his wife two aisles down from me. In the cereal aisle, I pass off a mother riding in an electronic cart with her obviously irritated daughter walking behind her who rolls her eyes and mumbles, "she'll be the death of me" as she passes by.

So miserable. I can see it in their faces. Thing is, I can see myself in each of them. I totally get it. It is exactly how I felt before I got saved. But it is even how I continue to feel at times when I don't let God love me. Just to be absolutely clear, I am definitely a Christian. I have asked Jesus into my heart and I am filled with the Holy Spirit. But it is still a daily choice to open myself up to His Love, His Word, and His Spirit and let Him renew me. It is a daily walk of faith to let His Joy replace my ragged outlook and changing emotions.

There are mornings that I feel just as miserable as the folks I see at the store. But because I have Jesus, I have a choice. I can grab hold of all that he purchased for me on the cross - not just my salvation, but LIFE abundantly. Though I live in this world, I don't have to be of this world. His Presence gives me wings to fly above all of it, so that I'm not just surviving this life, I am thriving in it because of his Mighty Power. 

God eagerly wants to take the tacks out of our shoes. Question is, are we willing to let Him do it?