Stay In Your Lane

Have you heard this expression “Stay in your lane”? This to me is selfish. If we stay in our own lane our focus is only on ourself. Stay in your lane (one lane at a time) only while driving!

What if Jesus stayed in his own lane?

Luke‬ ‭8:40-56 MSG‬‬

“On his return, Jesus was welcomed by a crowd. They were all there expecting him. A man came up, Jairus by name...He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his home because his twelve-year-old daughter, his only child, was dying. Jesus went with him, making his way through the pushing, jostling crowd.” (V:40-42)

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“In the crowd that day there was a woman who for twelve years had been afflicted with hemorrhages... She touched the edge of Jesus’ robe. At that very moment her hemorrhaging stopped. Jesus said, “Who touched me?” When no one stepped forward, Peter said, “But Master, we’ve got crowds of people on our hands. Dozens have touched you.” (V:43-45)

“While he was still talking, someone from the leader’s house came up and told him, “Your daughter died. No need now to bother the Teacher.” (V:49)

Wow, Jesus stepped out of his lane! He was on the way to heal Jairus’ child (now presumably dead) to speak to a women who had faith for her own healing. Jesus took the time after he realized his garment had been touched! “Jesus said, “Daughter, you took a risk trusting me, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed!” (V:4‬8‬) ‭

Meanwhile at Jairus’ home “Everyone was crying and carrying on over her. Jesus said, “Don’t cry. She didn’t die; she’s sleeping. Then Jesus, gripping her hand, called, “My dear child, get up.” She was up in an instant, up and breathing again!...”(V:52-56)

‭‭Two people in this one passage were healed! If Jesus would have stayed in his lane, the sick child would’ve been made well and it’s still a miracle. However, Jesus got out of his lane, healed the woman on the way to heal the child.

Another of my favorite where Jesus did not stay in his lane is when he saw Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. Take some time to read this as well.

My prayer for you is as you are on your road to wherever, doing whatever, that you would not be afraid to get out of your lane or out of your comfort zone to be his hands and feet to those around you.

I am so grateful for those who have come alongside me when I needed it and that the extended their hand from their lane to mine!

Remodel

“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:7-10‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Have you ever been part of a remodel project? We are in the midst of one right now. Our home was built in 1910 and has had lots of owners over the years. Currently it has a bathroom and a laundry room, both of which were not indoors at the time the house was built! 

The kitchen is galley style and not very big. At a quick glance its super cute. White cabinetry with silver handles, brown tile, brown sink, and white appliances. Cosmetically speaking the kitchen was livable, but when the Sheetrock came down we were able to see wiring not done correctly, pieces of flooring cut out and much more!

Anytime you decide to start something there are a lot of steps for the complete process. Walls have to come down, wires have to be fixed, floors and walls patched, textured, painted and new items moved in. Demo day can come with the excitement of the promise of change that is to come. A week or two in when all kinds of progress is being made sometimes it feels slow. There is debris with both the fall out and the progress. 

Man if this isn’t true of our lives we want the finish product; the weight loss, the spouse, the kid(s), the relationship mended, the job, the fill in the blank. The beginning can seem exciting, the progress slow and some days you think a lot was done, but its not visible to anyone. Once everything is pealed back you are able to fill the cracks, plug the holes and start to see a picture of what is to come. 

My prayer for you is that during your season of remodel, renewal and refreshing, that you will “join him in the work he does” and that you will see all that God has for you. “Search me, God, and know my heart;” Psalms‬ ‭139:23‬a NIV‬‬ The finished product is so much better that we can even imagine, but it takes faith, work, hope, and “trust him enough to let him do it”.