It may sound ridiculous, but it’s a danger that can await any of us.
Don’t die on a hill.
Once upon a time there were some people who were slaves. They were miraculously rescued from slavery, at their own request. They got scared during that rescue and complained a little. Ok, they complained a lot. So the rescue got delayed a little. Ok, it got delayed a lot. Often, they wished they could return to slavery because, in their words, “it’s better there”. They held on to their struggles and their scars and their pain and were never truly freed. Most of them died before they reached the Promised Land. A few of them died on a hill overlooking it.
The Big Plan is that there’s a Promised Land waiting for us. In fact, there are probably several depending on how you want to look at it. And one of two things is going to happen with this Promised Land. There are really only two options with any Promised Land. You walk into it or you die on the hill overlooking it.
Those who walk in are those who are ready for the new world. Those who are willing to take it to the next level. To walk in you have to be prepared for things to change. It won’t look like it used to look… that’s what a Promised Land is. It’s a different and new and wonderful and terrifying place.
If you aren’t ready for it, you aren’t walking in to it.
Those who die on the hill are those that couldn’t let go. They couldn’t completely walk away from slavery. They couldn’t walk away from helplessness and paralysis. They couldn’t tell the difference between bondage and blessing.
Don’t die on a hill.
Those who walk in aren’t afraid of change. They aren’t deer frozen in the headlights of the oncoming unknown. They take risks. They find courage. They receive blessing. They see the scars from the past and the stories are enough to push them into a bright, if scary, future.
Those who die on the hill would rather build homes for their oppressors than their children. They would rather bake bread for their persecutors than their families. It is better to face their owner than the unknown. They are slaves to themselves. They continue to live in a past that is destructive and distant while the future rests right before their weary eyes.
Don’t die on a hill.
You have to let go because you can’t walk in on your terms. You don’t get to make the rules. You don’t get to decide who goes with you and who stays behind. You don’t get the blessing without the surrender.
Don’t die on a hill. Don’t stay in the desert when God has you perched on a promise.
1 Comment
Just saw this. Don’t know how I missed it–good word.