Moving Sidewalk of Life

The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.

Ecclesiastes 1:5

It’s interesting how life can change for many of us but still remain the same. In the beginning of any grieving process (death of a loved one, divorce, job loss, etc.), everyone around us is aware of our hurt and gives us more grace. After a period of time, they go back to normal, but we are still in a pocket of grief. The sun rises and falls and a new day begins, even if we want time to stop for a moment.

This is most evident in our daily news. We hear of something really tragic, and it sticks with us for a couple of days, but then we don’t even think about it anymore. However, for the family and friends of the tragedy, they are still impacted by the shock and horror of their painful experience.

When I experienced my crisis, I felt like I was on a moving sidewalk of life. Even though I was struggling, I still had to move forward and I was being led forward whether I wanted to or not. It’s like being on the airport moving sidewalk and I’m still cooking, cleaning, working, writing—all the stuff I did before and more. And yet I wanted to curl up in my bed and just wish it all away.

In the moving sidewalk of life, I found that Jesus Christ was my constant companion and coach. When I wanted to give up or run away from my problems, He was on that sidewalk gently speaking hope, encouragement, and truth to my heart. I pressed on because of Him and not my own pulling-up-of-the-bootstraps.

Its life, and all of us at some time or another will have that moving sidewalk experience. Let us in that moment turn to our Savior and constant companion for the strength to live out our life journey.