Bowling

Ever feel whacked out? Overloaded? Too many details? Go to the Brunswick All-night Bowl of heaven and roll your heavy ball of gruff toward Our Great Father and Care Solver, right away! Heave the ball vigorously and make it rotate far afield; make sure it does not boomerang. Squash the pins which fasten you to disquiet, and burst through with finesse to the back wall of resolution. Post your score! Then, steady yourself on His revealed mind of comfort and peace and ready for the next frame.

Some tips to fine rolling: practice your release point, follow through, and avoid too much spin on the ball. Don’t choose a ball that is too heavy, (because you waited too long), or too light, (because you’re a whiner). Don’t allow your fingers to get caught in the ball-grips, but let go. Don’t slip and fall on your delivery.

Taking aim crucializes here, so receive another tip. Those marks halfway down the floor are “aim” markers, so roll your ball, (of fretfulness), directly toward them. Likewise, in spiritual terms, proceed toward the under-shepherds and shepherd your flocks (soul) along the way. Aim together with His Holy Spirit, He guides into all Truth; Way and Life also. His Word lamps the feet and lights a path. The Comforter alerts and warns our waywardness too. He cheers us on right paths! He brings to remembrance the Words of Jesus. He shows us things to come.

So, these true pastors will point you to the Great Shepherd how? Allow them to nurture and focus your soul toward the certainty of God’s caring nature –His ready soaking up of all of our tensions, even experiencing affliction in all of our affliction. He, sharing a touched chord with the painful depths of our infirmities, had been tempted in all points. He leads on softly. He knows.

Folks, the more we see Him, our concentrated aim betters, and so the more we want to pour our hearts out to This Trinity. Time past, He was moved with compassion at the plight of His Chosen. Sent by The Great I Am, there came a man-Deliverer. By this leader, the nation escaped out from under the oppressive thumb of Pharaoh. Yes, with blood of a spotless lamb obediently sprinkled on doorpost and door-sides, the favored families signaled the Scourger by these to skip their homes. However, that same angel killed sons at the un-initiated houses.

Red seas rose up to resist also, but God’s people sliced through on dry land narrowly skating a water-choke. The chasers drowned. God’s very name means to hear, listen with a view to be stirred, and then descend to relieve and rescue. You can count on it.

God has not given us the spirit of bondage again to fear, but enables love and sound thinking to cast out the dread. In tasting death, Jesus released all those fearing death. In bearing our sin He made a way of release from guilt and in becoming our sin, His righteousness replaces our shame. Our sorrows, He bore; His wounds are for healing.

Back at the bowling lanes, the art of casting off, hurling the rock, launching the projectile, or firing strikes can become second-nature. Discharge the burden on our Burden-Bearer. Just because we see ourselves as a “pain in the rear” to our friends and family, don’t equate God with men. He waits to be gracious.

Finally, let’s move to the gym and find the weight room. Sometimes rolling the marble resembles weight-lifting. We bench press the bar off our chest but it presses back down on us. Yeh, we’re scrunched up, we push it off to heaven, but it seems to show up fresh in the morning. What do we do? Push it off again. This second or fourth try, like the isometrics metaphor, builds muscle.

See, The Shepherd waits graciously while our faith strengthens in determined focus. We learn to insist. We stand on the assurance of His revealed nature and push, throw, hurl and roll as often as needed. Then we rest. Throw off fear, cast away worry, if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart. If we doubt, help our unbelief, O Lord. If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

Robert Kellemen cites anxiety as “vigilance that is out of control,” “toxic scanning.” He continues, it is “vigilance that is trying to maintain control in a self-protective and self-sufficient way.” It is “vigilance minus faith in God.” Friends, roll your cares to Him, push them off. Do it with determined resolve, forsake the anxiety makers with a fixed purpose. Be radical and be carefree. Labor to enter into His rest. He waits. love ya