Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

Get a Move On

When I was a kid, my folks would occasionally tell me to, “Get a move on.“ Where I come from this means, “hurry up” or “let’s go.” I was not one to typically sloom around but sometimes I didn’t want to comply immediately. One time after church, Dad came to me and said, “Let’s go.” I didn’t obey right away and continued to have fun hanging out  with my friends. (This wasn’t the first time I’d not been prompt to obey in this regard.) So after several minutes, I walked toward our usual parking space and discovered the car was gone and so were my parents! Fortunately, my neighbor lady attended the same church, so I just hitched a ride with her. I learned a valuable lesson that day. When Dad said it was time to go, I needed to do the right thing and say my good-byes right away.

Not everything in life happens the exact way we want or expect. When life takes a  detour, it’s normal to feel disappointed. But we need to deal quickly with feelings of disappointment in order to move on in a healthy manner. If you’re disappointed about something right now, I encourage you to push on toward better things ahead and leave the past at the train station. Paul writes to the Church in Phillipi: “…I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead…” (Philippians 3:13 NLT).

When believers go through times of disappointment, we have to quickly get our private thought world in agreement with God’s thoughts. His thoughts and will are found in His life-giving Word. If we have a scrambled-eggs mindset, we can‘t be overcomers or be of help to anybody else. Remaining in a negative place and continuing to stir a skillet of burnt eggs is refusing to let go of the past. God desires that all of His children keep moving forward in hope and faith.

If not dealt with promptly, disappointment can lead to depression. An excellent way to move on is to refuse to live a self-absorbed life. Find someone needy, lonely, or sad and help them move on toward a fresh outlook and new mindset. Just think of it as a three-legged race — when you help others, it will help you too. Finding someone, other than yourself, to focus on is a positive approach. King Solomon had some good advice: “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer” (Ecclesiastes 4:9,10,12 NLT). We are most alive and happy when we’re loving and actively giving of ourselves because God created us be lovers and givers.

Because of our own life experiences, we can be an encouraging friend to someone who’s bearing a disappointment. The evils of isolation and the values of working together are significant. Compassion and fellowship brings helpfulness and comfort to both parties.

“Do not earnestly remember the former things; neither consider the things of old” (Isaiah 43:18 AMP). We’re supposed to leave our disappointments behind and stop going over old history because it’s a waste of time to brood over what should have and could have happened. Even though disappointment can knock on your door, please don’t make it feel welcome. Don’t let disappointment hang around — act quickly and kick it to the curb.

The Key: When disappointment comes, don’t cop-out, just “get a move on.”

Our son Andy is a coach with a minor league baseball team in Arkansas.  The ballpark has a rule that I find bizarre: the fans may carry in only clear bags.  Not acceptable are purses or back backs or diaper bags.  This mandate has caught on at numerous ballparks, so fans bring clear bags, ranging in size from a submarine sandwich to a microwave. Think Ziploc bags with glitter.  I question how safe the stuffed, larger, see-through bags are, since it would be easy to stick a small pistol down inside the blanket that fills the cavity.  The gatekeepers do not check what’s inside the bag.

“Since your parcel is clear, enter through the turnstile, please.”

It’s sort of how God sees us, isn’t it? Only He sees through our baggage of hidden sins as we try to disguise who we really are but fail miserably at the attempt.  Do you find it as freaky as I do?  There isn’t a thought we have that He doesn’t see.  Selfish motives can’t be hidden from Him.  Judgmental opinions do not escape His notice.  A smiley face will not mask a complaining attitude.  We are incapable of stuffing anything so that it is not seen by our Heavenly Father.

Luke 12:2,3 pulls no punches. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. The thought terrifies me. Someone once described the judgment seat of Christ as a drive-in movie.  We all will be gathered to watch a big movie screen where God will show the world all our sins and failures.  Talk about a horror movie!  Should that be the case, I will be hidden in the car’s trunk, not unlike the times I did that as a teenager.  And yes, another sin that would be exposed.

The scripture is a little confusing. In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we read that we all will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give an answer for the things done in the body, whether good or evil.  Would a loving God put us on the hotseat and reveal our sins to the world?   I mean, who of us would invite others over to watch a home video of every way our child disobeyed or messed up?  “And here’s Johnny being taken away in handcuffs for the third time.”  “Oh, look at Susie, sneaking out of her bedroom window at midnight.”  Absolutely not.

Instead, we would show the highlight reel, right?  The winning field goal, the ACT certificate presentation, the proposal.  Good parents don’t shame, and neither does God.  There is nothing in scripture to indicate that our behavior’s discussion is done publicly.  2 Corinthians 5:10 says nothing about our ugly nature being shared with others. (Thank you, Jesus.)

But let’s say it is.  Maybe, instead of our terrible deeds inviting shame and sorrow, they miraculously will inspire wonder and worship at the grace and forgiveness of God.  Instead of looking at each other disdainfully (“You’re really a sicko, you know it?”), our attitude might be, “How amazing is our Father who sent His son, Jesus, to cover our sins!”

There is another option, the one I prefer.  What if there is no bad report?  Instead, there will just be a grand announcement that those ugly scenes from our lives have been washed away because Jesus was made sin for us on the cross.  The same cross where Shame died.

When the day comes that we Christians enter through the pearly gate, unlike the ballpark, there will be nothing we have to hide. We will enter through the Jesus gate, and that will be enough.                                                                                                                                                         Yes, I will go with that option.