Swimming through cement

Sometimes life is like trying to swim through cement. Sometimes our faith journey is like that too. We seem stuck in cement, wanting to swim and move along, but the difficulty of life seems to stop us dead in our tracks.

Sometimes I wonder........Jesus said that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, right? We are all called to use our gifts for the benefit of others in the world. Some of us know we have gifts and want to use them, but we are prohibited to use our gifts by those in power over us. That is a frustrating feeling. It is like trying to swim through cement.

The person who has the gifts may want to share them with others. He or she may approach the people in charge or in power to ask to use them. There may be a need out there, but the person is rejected and told "not today" or "there is no need", when today is when the gifts are needed and there certainly is a need out there.

But there are some people in the world in power who like to lord it over others. They always have to be in control. The image I get is when countries donate food to poor countries and tons of it, and the food just sits on the docks and rots away because the politicians in power won't give it to the people in need. That is what powerful people do sometimes. There may be needs out there and people willing to give their gifts, but the people in power won't let the gifts be given, so they rot away and people suffer.

So, as people of faith what are we supposed to do? Pray of course. Speaking up is another way. Waiting is another thing to do...waiting on the Lord that is. A challenge for those waiting is not to become bitter. We have to trust that God is in control more than the people in power think they are. The challenge is to stay faithful. The people who misused their power will be accountable for it someday, and the meek shall inherit the earth.

When the meek inherit the earth they will swim in peaceful soft waters instead of cement, and those who misused their power will be no where nearby to mess things up. That is what I believe anyway.