“For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). A verse that has been shared with me by many members of my family and those in my ministry. A verse that never made sense to me. I spent many nights questioning it and many instances of my life not practicing it. Through all these years, I watched as my great-grandfather, Chuck Zerres, took this practice to heart and allowed it to fill him completely. But I had to learn that watching him and surrounding myself with people who practiced the word of God through and through, was not enough. It can be so easy to look at the atmosphere around you and think you are right with God, but if your heart and soul is not there, you will never be right with God. Though I can’t go back and change all those nights and instances where I lacked the discipline to practice the word of God, I can share the valuable lesson God has taught me.
When God called upon me this year to share this lesson, I lacked the words. My floor quickly gathered the crumpled papers of failed attempts, my computer keys took the beating of my frustration, and my mind became exhausted trying to find the words. Only then, in my frustration, did I realize again that I was trying to walk by my own sight and, in doing so, was causing myself trouble after trouble. I finally asked God, “How do I teach this?” And only then was I able to teach the lesson.
My father built a rope course many years ago for camp and continued to reuse it throughout the years to teach lesson after lesson. This year, it was my turn to allow God to teach through me using this rope course. There is only one way to complete this rope course, and that is by listening. You are blindfolded and have to find your way through these obstacles to reach your destination. You try to do it on your own, and you will fall and get frustrated and defeated. If you really listen to your team and put your entire faith in them, you will get through unscathed. The rope course simulates life. If you try to walk by your own sight and your own wants, you will find yourself lost. If you walk by listening to God and relying solely on faith, you will always be right in your heart and in the right place.
It can seem easier for me to teach and preach this than it is to practice it, but it’s easier than continuing to stay in your ways of walking by your own sight. When I was called upon to teach this, if I had first started by asking God a simple question, I could’ve skipped multiple nights of frustration and being lost. Before doing anything, just ask God. God is not here to watch you struggle and leave you lost; ask, and you shall receive. So ask God what to do, rely on Him and your faith, and live the beautiful life He has planned for you.
Alexandria Power
My father built a rope course many years ago for camp and continued to reuse it throughout the years to teach lesson after lesson. This year, it was my turn to allow God to teach through me using this rope course. There is only one way to complete this rope course, and that is by listening. You are blindfolded and have to find your way through these obstacles to reach your destination. You try to do it on your own, and you will fall and get frustrated and defeated. If you really listen to your team and put your entire faith in them, you will get through unscathed. The rope course simulates life. If you try to walk by your own sight and your own wants, you will find yourself lost. If you walk by listening to God and relying solely on faith, you will always be right in your heart and in the right place.
It can seem easier for me to teach and preach this than it is to practice it, but it’s easier than continuing to stay in your ways of walking by your own sight. When I was called upon to teach this, if I had first started by asking God a simple question, I could’ve skipped multiple nights of frustration and being lost. Before doing anything, just ask God. God is not here to watch you struggle and leave you lost; ask, and you shall receive. So ask God what to do, rely on Him and your faith, and live the beautiful life He has planned for you.
Alexandria Power