Up A Tree Without A Plan

I was in Texas recently and my dear friend Suzan took me to see this tree. She said there was a jewel in there somewhere :)
I have been pondering that sight for a few days now and this is the lesson I believe the Lord showed me.
The bikes represent us, we are all on a journey in our personal lives, all going different directions with different circumstances, different dreams and different destinations. There are times however when you feel like your spinning your wheels and going no where. Every road seems to be a dead end and you feel like your bike is going higher and higher in that tree and the “right” road is getting further and further away.
It is in these times we feel God has ridden off into the sunset and forgotten us .
We can't see the forest for the trees because our circumstances have blinded our view. We feel like we tried to hold onto Jesus but we lost our grip and we are now riding alone.
The Lord gave me a visual regarding that thought and His answer to it.
I pictured myself flying with Jesus, holding onto the back of His cape if you will, holding on for dear life. Slowly my grip begins to loosen and one by one my fingers let go and I begin to fall to the cold hard ground below.
The Lord showed me that I can let go any time I want because it is Him who is holding onto me!
When I feel like my bike is hanging from a tree and I'm running into other tree ornaments we are all still very much being held up by His branches.
We ask ourselves why in the world would God allow us to be in this tree? How can this be good for me or my family? How long am I going to hang here with questions and no answers? We feel like things are out of control because we aren't supposed to be here. Or are we?
Perhaps the very times we are dangling from an unfamiliar place is the very times the Lord is increasing our faith and encouraging us to let go of the wheel and trust Him to bring us to the right destinations.
To ride by faith.
2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
I love the mountains and the Lord has been so good to bless me the past few years to go visit them every year near my birthday. Once again this year I was offered a beautiful place in North Carolina that Jess and I could stay for free! It's all I could talk about to anyone who would listen. About 2 weeks before it was time to leave the Lord asked me to go to Texas to minister for Him. I suddenly felt myself beginning to ride by bike up that tree trunk.
I began explaining to the Lord if I go to Texas I won't have any funds to go to North Carolina. Did I mention I LOVE the mountains?? There was nothing pressing on my heart about Texas but the Holy Spirit did not let it go so I called my dear friend Suzan, bought the ticket and landed in Ft. Worth a few days later.
Before I even left I began to plan the course I would ride once I got there. Before I knew it I was hanging from a tree branch, everything I thought I was going to do was changed.
The Lord had his own bike route we would be taking. There were moments I was holding on not sure which road to go down but then I got that visual of me letting go knowing the Lord was holding onto me, I just had to keep peddling.
There were parts of the trip that were uncomfortable for me and I asked God why do I have to do this? I felt like I was up in someones tree house without an invite. It was at these times the Lord reminded me how much He loved these individuals and it was by His invite I was there. Gems I had no idea what I was doing in that tree BUT God did and looking back I see I was exactly where I was supposed to be ministering to exactly who He chose.
The whole experience increased my faith and encouraged me to just start peddling when the Lord calls and don't worry about the obstacles. The Lord promises to work out all things for the good of those who love Him and either He's God or He's not.
I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I don't see the good in my situation at all, the whole thing looks about as natural as riding a bike from a tree branch. During the trip things may be confusing but when the ride is over and I reach my destination I can look back and see the hand of God on the whole trip.
2Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
The bottom line is a long time ago there was an innocent man who was asked to hang on a tree. To be beaten and bruised for my iniquities. To have the face of God turn away from Him because of my sins. A man asked to hang from a tree and believe God would work it all out. He too asked if there was another way to go. That man was my sweet Jesus and I thank Him daily for giving me the tree of life.
Gems I write you this jewel from a beautiful room with a breath taking view of the North Carolina mountains. I have so much joy in my heart I'm about to burst! I so wish each one of you could be here to share in this blessing. One of the locals told me it snowed last week and was freezing and next week the tourist will be here and it will be hard to get around town. She said we definetly chose the perfect weekend to be here. Honestly I thougth once I was on that plane to Texas I would have to give up my mountain trip but God worked it all out for His and my perfect timing.
My prayer for each of you is the next time you find yourself up a tree without a plan you will remember that Jesus is holding onto you. Let go, ride without hands and trust you can only fall as far as the palm of His hands.