When my kids take a bath/shower, they don’t like to get soap or water in their face when I rinse their hair. I tell them to look up at the ceiling and the water will run down behind them instead of their face. Do they heed this advice? No. Instead, they lean their face forward which causes more water to run down it. The response – to tip their head even lower. Again, causing more water and more frustration, sometimes ending in tears. We have had many baths over the years and yet my advice usually goes unheeded. Eventually, they will be old enough to shower completely on their own and, through trial and error, figure it out without ever realizing that’s what I intended for them all along.

How often do we ignore the advice God has given to keep us from stumbling and frustration? When the waters of life fall on our heads, instead of looking up to Him, we look down (comparing our situation to others, looking for an easy way out, become self-reliant). When that doesn’t work and things seem to get worse, we look even further down (depression, willful ignorance, anger, sinful behavior to fill the void). It’s only natural to try to solve things our own way, it’s logical behavior (Romans 7-8). But God, gave us the Spirit so we might not choose the natural or logical, but His way/plans, which are so much better (1 Corinthians 2, Ephesians 2, Psalm 37). God’s Word is also a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105) which can help keep us from stumbling and provides many blessings (Psalm 1, Proverbs).

In Don’t Stop Running, we learned how the Bible compared our lives to a runner in a race. We are running on purpose, with an end goal and an object to follow – Christ (Hebrews 12, 1 Corinthians 9, Philippians 2). As we get distracted by struggle and trials, we lose sight of Christ and look down at our feet instead, causing us to stumble and fall. Keeping in constant communication with Him and staying in His Word helps us focus and respond when hardships and temptations come our way (Matthew 4).

It’s a lot easier to say than do, but as we go through our daily live and the waters of hardships fall, rather than looking to yourself for answers and trying to figure it out on your own, seek God’s face and Biblical counsel. Otherwise, you’ll continue to get more water in your face instead of letting run off your back. Keep looking up!