Between a Rock and a hard place

The other day at work, I was talking with a young man and in the midst of the conversation, he mentioned the common phrase of being between a rock and a hard place. 

Now, I've heard this phrase my entire life, I'm sure, but it never struck me the way it did when it came out of his mouth that day. Because lately, when I hear the word rock, I always think of Jesus. So, as soon as he said it, I pondered it in a new way.

It is certainly a difficult situation to be in when it seems that no matter what you do, it's going to be hard and someone is probably going to get hurt.

Maybe even you.

There's no getting around it in life, whether it is a relationship problem, death or some other issue we must deal with. It is going to happen eventually - we will find ourselves between a rock and a hard place.

Some people think that when you become a Christian, your problems mysteriously vanish and everything is perfect from that moment on. Or at least, some may lead others to believe this. But that's completely FALSE.

The truth is we will still have the same problems. We just have a better way of handling them than we did before we became Christians.

This is why when you are between a rock and a hard place in life (and you are a Christian) the reality is that the rock is between you and a hard place. Not the other way around.

But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the Rock in whom I take refuge. Psalms 94:22.

*According to Webster's dictionary - words in parenthesis.

The LORD has become my fortress (place that is protected against attack: a fortified place), and my God the Rock in whom I take refuge (shelter or protection from danger or trouble).

When we take shelter in the Rock, He's our fortress. He is between us and our hard places in life.

Will there be problems?

Oh yeah...unfortunately.

But how much better is it to know that we can take refuge in the Rock!

He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He. Deuteronomy 32: 4

A light for my path

We recently got a little black cat.  She was the cutest thing when we first got her and the story of how she ended up in our family is sweet.

My husband went to get a haircut late one evening and the ladies who worked there had found the stray kitten in the ditch and were feeding it Cheetos. They were trying to find her a home before closing time.

My husband called me and asked me if I'd like a kitten. I'm not sure why I said yes because my oldest son, who was living in our basement at the time, is allergic. But I said yes and he brought the kitten home.

It didn't take long for all of us to fall in love with her. She was absolutely adorable. Plus, I think we needed her just as much as she needed us. We bottle fed her until she grew a little.

Now, she is about seven months old and very playful! She climbs the curtains and the brick on the fireplace. She has figured out how to get onto the counter tops and kitchen table.

So, this is a bit of a problem. Not only because we don't want her on the counters and table but we also have a flat top electric stove in the house that we currently rent and I'm afraid she is going to jump right on top of the stove when the burners are still hot.

How do we teach her that something she is doing is dangerous?

Well, we've tried several things and it's getting better but it's not something I considered when we brought her home. lol

What got me to thinking about my cat and her antics is my youngest son, Joseph, and his laser pointer.  The other night he got it out and the cat was going nuts chasing the red light. She wore herself completely out! 

Everyone thought it was hilarious but I couldn't help but think that she was chasing something that wasn't really there. It was just a stream of light and she would NEVER catch it. Yet, she spent all of her energy chasing something that was unattainable and really a trick.

It reminded me of the many things in life that Satan shines a light on to try and get us off course and lead us to a dangerous place. 

Sometimes, we are completely captivated by it and chase it in our own way. He has an arsenal of deceit and trickery he uses to lure God's children to places they should not be. It causes them so much trouble yet I'm sure Satan delights in it and finds it entertaining and hilarious! 

For Christians, we have the answer. God gave us His word. The thing is, to stay on course, we have to read it and use it in our lives daily. 

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalms 119:105

He will not lead us astray.  ♡♡♡