Survival kit for the Canadian North! Many new friends have welcomed us to Northern Alberta. Included in our “survival kit” have been donations of cans of bear spray which thankfully have not yet been put to use! On a recent excursion by vehicle up along the Clearwater River I came across a sizable wild cat which I recognized as a lynx. The lynx was casually strolling along a quad trail. My first fishing experience in the Athabasca River was pleasant, albeit with a tangled spinning rod line! And yes, I had the bear spray in my satchel! It may be time for a “survival kit.”
Attempting to walk in someone else’s shoes helps us to care more deeply. After all, there is nothing more joyful than “surviving” together!
Sometimes it appears to me that as we travel through life, we ought to pack a spiritual “survival kit”. What would one find in such a kit? Perhaps the largest component would be the GRACE of God. The grace of God is His amazing, unmerited love. There is no more “warming” drink than realizing that God gives us constantly that which we do not deserve – His grace. Another item in the kit is FORGIVENESS. Because God’s Son, Jesus Christ paid for our forgiveness by virtue of the Cross, we may once-for-all and daily more than survive while contemplating His forgiveness for our short-comings. Since we have been forgiven, we may forgive others and especially forgive ourselves!
EMPATHY is the package in our kit that may be pulled out to bring healing to a travelling companion. Attempting to walk in someone else’s shoes helps us to care more deeply. After all, there is nothing more joyful than “surviving” together! Look into your own kit – what do you have tucked away there? Our Almighty yet personal Lord, desires that we not only “survive” but “thrive”. Step into today with your “survival kit” strapped on and confidence sufficient to engage life!