Ready
To Live!
For in him we live and move and have
our being.
Acts 17:28
Stran Smith is a professional rodeo
rider. His passion is steer-roping…jumping off his horse at 25mph!
Stran had been riding the circuit for
seven years, when one day he exhibited alarming medical symptoms and
was transported to the local hospital, where doctors discovered he’d
had a stroke. Further testing revealed a hole between two chambers of
Stran’s heart; a condition known as ‘PFO’ had led to the blood
clot in his brain.
Faced with choosing between a
risk-filled experimental surgery to repair the hole, or lead a
sedentary life—where watering his grass was the limit of his
physical exertion, and rodeoing was no longer an option—Stran and
his wife, Jennifer, spent a great deal of time in prayer, seeking
God’s direction.
Ultimately, they opted for surgery,
which was a remarkable success. Stran, now healthier than he’d ever
been, returned to the rodeo circuit within two months of the
procedure. When asked what the biggest lesson of his experience had
been, Stran commented, “Until I was ready to die, I wasn’t ready
to live.”
Stran credits his professional rodeo
status to blood, sweat, and God’s guidance through his relationship
with Jesus Christ.
†
Faced with a crisis of faith, we must
decide whether we want to hang up our saddle, becoming a reluctant
spectator in a full-contact arena, or trust God to fully and
faithfully live through us in the time we have left.
In Christ’s crucifixion and
resurrection we have the ability to die to ourselves daily, preparing
the way for God to resurrect us each morning through our relationship
with Jesus Christ, under the power of the Holy Spirit. Our deliberate
dying-to-self leaves the door open for God to do miraculous things
with and through us. By intentionally facing death, finding our
purpose and being in Jesus Christ, we become ready to live!
Prayer
“I want to live today,
Lord! But it’s so hard to lay down my own desires each day. I want
the benefits of having You in control, but sometimes my wants get in
the way. Show me how to humbly listen and await Your instruction at
the beginning of each day as I spend this time with You. In Jesus’
Name, Amen.”
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