We had hope for a beautiful finish to the day as we took a wide sweeping bend that ended the straight away leading into a beautiful road winding it’s way up the mountain like a coiling snake.
With the sun setting, we were looking for a camp ground or hotel on the other side of the hill to stop for the night.
Shifting down, I accelerated into the next corner when over the radio I heard my dad say, “I think you have a flat tire.”
Indeed, the rear end of my motorcycle was feeling squishy.
We pulled over only long enough to hear the hissing sound of my rear tire going flat.
“Great!” I thought. “50 miles from anywhere and I’m stuck. It’s cold and the sun is setting.”
I jumped back on and road gingerly as fast as I could… maybe we’d get lucky and find a spot to make camp…
Learning from the Journey
He [Jesus] began to send them out in pairs…and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff – no bread, no bag, no money in their belt – but to wear sandals; and He added, ‘Do not put on two tunics.‘ And He said to them, ‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” Mark 6:7 – 11
Why did Jesus send out the twelve disciples with the instructions to not take anything with them?
God Provides Hope
I think that one reason is to show them the God, through the power of the Holy Spirit will provide for them. By not taking anything with them, they have to rely on God to provide for their meals, water, means, and even warmth.
A Story to Remember
Living through periods of time where you struggle at everything is tough.
I can recall a time where in the course of two years, my family lost our matriarchs.
Five funerals in two years was tough to go through and even to this day, our family is struggling to put it all back together.
Struggles in your life build perseverance. Perseverance builds character. Character produces hope. Romans 5:3-5
Sometimes, God sends us out and/or through/into difficult situations so that we can create stories. These stories build our character, give us hope, and remind us of God’s provision through the struggles that we face in the present.
Are you out there building your story? Let us know.
Like what you’ve read? Check out more here:
http://www.displayedfaith.com/blog/
PS – We ended up in Jacob Lake, Arizona. Nicest people ever. They warned us of the impending snow storm and offered lodging at a reduced rate so we wouldn’t freeze to death. By morning, our bikes were covered in snow. One of our new friends drove us down to the next town over to get a tow truck and to see about a shop to plug my flat tire.
