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“Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,” Psalm 119:2 (ESV)

A drenching, rainy Saturday kept me inside doing the things I had put off all summer. Necessary things I’d dismissed for the sake of being outside absorbing some warm sunshine. Chores I had moved down the list because I’d rather enjoy some chill time and a great read. Yet this day, this weekend, the rains poured.

Ever the list maker, I was moving at a fast speed to get the most accomplished and almost missed it. I just happened to look out my kitchen window when the big, orange FedEx truck rolled into our driveway. Just as the downpour really began to pour down, I grabbed my umbrella and met this bigger than life dude to get our package. With rain dripping off his face, he said, “Thanks for meeting me halfway – have a great day.”

Halfway  – a phrase stuck in my mind. How many things do we undertake in a given day that fall into this category of halfway? It serves us well in the aftermath of disagreements – the perfect compromise each one meeting the other halfway.  A grand gesture when meeting someone for dinner choosing a location convenient to both. Halfway isn’t half bad unless you were created to go all the way.

Sweet friends, we can shortchange spiritual growth when we choose to go halfway. You got it, simply doing enough to get by, checking off our list and meeting our standards. When a task is not what we feel we should be doing, we are tempted to complete it halfway since it was obviously below our pay grade. If serving in the soup kitchen garners no accolades, we might choose to skimp, serve halfheartedly. After all, no one is watching, right?

Don’t know about you, but I’m so thankful our God doesn’t do anything halfway. Every word He spoke in creation was good and when He got to us, well that was very good!!!  And we the very ones formed in His image have often settled for less. Regardless, God pursues us wholeheartedly. He never gives up. The work He began in us, He promises to bring to completion. The moments when we run as far away as we can from Him, God chooses to pursue us with an everlasting love. He doesn’t stop simply because we aren’t moving towards Him. God’s love never ceases even when we dismiss His presence.

Flip through the pages of the New Testament and we’ll find that Jesus (Son of God) perfectly exemplifies His Father’s heart. When faced with temptation in the wilderness. Jesus went all the way defying Satan’s plan. When the crowds ridiculed and questioned His authority, Jesus never cowered but stood steadfast on the truth of God’s word. As the hardest moments of His time on earth drew near, Jesus went all the way to the cross laying down His life to redeem our souls. And on Easter morning, the empty tomb unveiled our Risen Savior who went all the way just for you and me.

What is God asking us to do today? Are we tempted to minimize the journey and only go halfway or are we all in totally surrendered to the Father’s plan? The choice is up to us. Halfway can birth regret, yet all the way invites an amazing journey we will never forget.

“Father, the temptation is to do just enough, to love just enough to obey just enough and to settle for less. Help us to wholeheartedly serve and obey You regardless of who is watching.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life