Jumping Hurdles

Normally, when Ben came home from work, his teenage daughter would run up to him and hug him and kiss him. One afternoon, however, he came home, and she was not there to greet him.

Frightened, he called her name. Unfortunately, she did not respond. He went to the phone to call the police and noticed that a note was taped to the desk beneath it. Hurriedly, he read the note: “Dad, I went back to the school to practice jumping hurdles. Love ya! Karen.”

Everyone has their share of hurdles. Some are taller than others, and there may be a longer distance between them. But they are there — every day and everywhere. We have problems to solve, temptations to overcome, burdens to bear - for ourselves and others - and battles to fight. We can face and fight them or flee from them. However, they will never go away unless and until we work with the Lord to overcome them.

Faith and trust in God can turn our obstacles into opportunities, sadness into smiles, and tragedies into triumphs - depending on what and how we choose to deal with them.

David faced many of the same situations that we do. Yet, we find no record that he spent time on self-pity or self-resignation. He prayed and believed that God could and would take care of every one of them. And He did!

Hear his praise report: “Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy!”

Because hurdles come from God, we can get over them with God.

Prayer: Help us, Father, to fill our lives with faith to overcome each hurdle we face and give You all the praise. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Psalm 28:6 Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy.