It’s Really Getting in the Way

Guest post by Author Lauri Lemke Thompson

“But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and
continues in it – not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.” James 1:25 (NIV).

I attended a Bible study one summer and carelessly forgot my leather-bound
Bible on the back seat of our car. Living near a lake, we loaded beach paraphernalia such as dripping inflatables in and out of the car. Plus we ran our typical errands. A week went by, but I used a different Bible in the house and had not missed it.

One day my husband blurted out, “Could you please take your Bible out of the
back seat? It is really getting in the way and causing a lot of problems.”

He was right. It’s an expensive Bible and should be treated with care. As I
retrieved it, his words reverberated in my ears – but in a different way than he
intended.

God’s Word does “get in the way” sometimes, I thought. It “gets in the way”
when I’d rather live differently than how it says I ought. It “causes lots of problems” because it is hard-hitting.

The Bible points out my sins of commission and—of all things—omission! Just in case I can’t quickly think of an overt sin, undone good deeds stare at me. It is also uncannily effective at knocking me off my high horse.

It sounds sacrilegious, but perhaps life would be easier without it. The Bible
sometimes urges me to make some changes. Do I always enjoy that? That would be a no.

However, if I avoided the Bible and its commands, I’d also be missing out on its
promises and wisdom. How would I get to know God better? How would I be reminded that even those commands that seem bothersome are for my own good?

Happier without it? Not on your life.

No, Lord, I want to keep Your Word deeply entwined with me as I journey this
side of Heaven. It’s not “in my way.” Rather, I treasure it. Help me to consistently use Your Word – and may I remember that You promise it will foster liberty and blessing, not bondage and misery.

Oh, and Lord? Help me remember to bring my physical copies of the Bible into
the house where they can be kept safe and dry.

A Wisconsin native, Lauri Lemke Thompson appreciates living with her husband in the lovely Ozark mountains in Branson, Missouri. She is active in Christian Women’s Connection (Stonecroft) and the Ozarks Chapter of the American Christian Writers. She published a book called Hitting Pause, a collection of her articles and devotions. Her bimonthly column appears in the Branson Globe newspaper.