Hang on baby!

During the morning ride on the bus, I happened to glance to the window and saw a little spider hanging by his little thread. I didn't give it much thought, as I do not care for the company of spiders and the ichy bites they give. Then the bus started driving away from the depot. I saw the little spider getting a ride of his life. He kept swinging back and forth to the point were I was waiting for his thread to break and his life would be over. We kept building up speed and I continued to watch and even got to the point, "you can do it!" The bus came to a stop to pick up the last of the people before the long drive to Vancouver. My little spider friend had made it and quickly took the moment to make his way to safety in the window ledge.

It got me thinking about how we are sometimes on the ride of our lives and we are waiting for things to slow down to where we can retreat to safety. Sometimes things never really slow down, we just get use to the bumps and we go on. Living as a Christian in today's world is much like this. We forget that just because we follow Jesus, that our life should be a cake walk, simple and sweet. I think it is a cake walk, but maybe not in those terms. Let me explain.

In elementary school, we had events called cake walks. I believe they still occur at various functions at churches and community centers. You would pay your quarter and walk in a pre-made circle made up with numbered squares. The music would play and you would be having a great time, then it all changes. The music ends and you stop on a square. They would then draw a number from a hat and you would cross your fingers, as they call the winning number you glance to see if it could possibly be you. If you were the winner they brought you a yummy cake as a prize, everyone else got zilch. I played and played until I had no more quarters, and yet I never got a cake. I played by the rules, I didn't cheat or push, yet I was never rewarded with a big cake of my own.

Life as a Christian could be summed up that way. We don't always get the worldly rewards, and sometimes it feels as if we go in circles forever. We watch those play the game by not playing fair and they win and we feel cheated and confused. We might stop to help a friend who has fallen, only to see that they might win since we helped them. How is this fair? That is our calling, we knew the the Bible states that following Christ would not be easy, but sharing the good news so that others can find the truth is our mission.

Think about the deeper side of this. We need to follow the rules in life, they make the walk easier. We were promised by God that we would be rewarded with Heaven and eternal life with Him. By being a follower of Christ, I know that at the end of my journey, there will be a giant cake, more delicious than anything in this world. The best part is, we all have one waiting for us if you chose to walk towards it!!!

In conclusion, I realized today that being patience is key, be like the spider who never gave up, we need to hold on during the rough spots in life. That doing things the right way is best, even though we may not always get rewarded at the time. Lastly, and most importantly, God is gonna have the best chocolate cake!