Where Are Your Feet Planted?

     The years Dwayne attended seminary were some of the hardest years on our family and some of the greatest years for our family! One great thing about Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is the campus! Since we did not have money to go out on the town, walks through campus were our date times. Sometimes we took the children with us and they would ride their bikes, and sometimes we would use it as time alone. The next klutzy move I am sharing with you happened on one of these particular walks. I hope you remember me telling you the other day that I do not have explanations for everything I do. Sometimes, it is just plain stupid! This is one of those times. It is probably the most embarrassing falls for me because I could have avoided it. It was a beautiful Sunday evening. Dwayne and I was on our walk; one with no children. It was picture perfect: not too hot, not too cold, nobody on campus, birds singing in the trees, and the sun using up the last of its daytime energy before calling it a day! This postcard scenery brought out the child in me (Dwayne:  No it's always out); or at least the childhood behavior! We were walking on a side walk that butted up next to a parking lot, so there was a curb. I started walking with one foot on the parking lot level and one up on the curb level. Imagine it! Sorry, I do not have a video to add of Dwayne illustrating this! This is one of his favorite falling stories and he always stands up and walks making his body go up and down to illustrate my tottering that day. As I was proceeding with my childlike stroll, Dwayne started his words of warning. He said, “Tonya, you are going to fall! You better quit!” I did not like or heed his warning. Just because I was acting childlike did not mean I was a child. I could handle this motor skill challenge just fine! I proceeded to inform him I was fine and I wouldn’t fall. He couldn’t stand seeing me play with fire and gave me warning after warning. Again, I confidently declared I was not going to fall. Literally, seconds later, I was lying on the cement rolling around knowing I was going to have to tune Dwayne’s heartstrings to have compassion on me or I was going to feast on six words that did not live up to their meaning . . .I am not going to fall! No matter how much I rolled around and grabbed my foot and cried that I had broke it!(Dwayne: Every time she falls, SOMETHING is ALWAYS broken; which is NEVER the case!)(It might be one day!); it did not work! Dang it! He has always been able to see reality through my emotions. My emotions were not getting me far with him. He listened and watched for awhile and then started telling me to get up. I agree that when you get up you can usually walk it off. However, it really did feel like I broke my foot (of course I have never broken a bone so I have no idea how a broken bone feels). After not being able to pry me off the cement to a standing position, he decided to give me little nudge with his foot. Please know that this is the first time I have stated his actions in this way. I usually say that Dwayne KICKED me when I was down! However, since I know that he will edit this devotion and put in his own version, I will just save him the trouble and concede to his version this one time (Dwayne: First time she's told the truth about this one)! I did get up and I walked it off though my pride has never recovered and Dwayne will never live down kicking me! lol
     How many times do we walk the Christian fence? One foot is on the Christian path and one foot is in the world. We teeter-totter along thinking we can pull it off. Often God sends us Christian friends to lovingly encourage us that we are going to get hurt. We act offended and conclude we will be fine. We receive more warnings and become more adamant that we will be fine!! Then before we can get the words out, the world goes tumbling down and we go tumbling down with it. Often we respond with much whining and complaining trying to get the sympathy of our loved ones. Some people look at us and say, “You wouldn’t listen and now you are going to have to pull yourself up!” Some of us never do! We spend the rest of our life whining about how either God or the world really hurt us!” Some of us, pull ourselves up and can’t decide which world we want to live in so we decide to keep walking with one foot in each. Yes, we fall often but think it is worth it for the thrill it gives us. Then some of us get up and walk it off and declare that we will never do that again. We ask God to forgive us and to light His path before us!
     Which one describes you? Do you have your feet planted solidly with God? Or do you walk with one foot in the world? Have you been warned? If not, consider this your warning!

Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world --wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important--has nothing to do with the Father.
It just isolates you From Him. The world and all is wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out
--but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
1 John 2:15-17