Keep The Pace

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Keep The Pace

by Nelson Haynes

My “Me-Ma” wore one type of perfume. I felt the solid flesh and bone of him, smelled the smell of remember the whiff of her when I bent down him?” (Secrets in the Dark) to hug her neck as she sat in her favorite chair. We’ve wished it. “Oh, if I could see Jesus in real time.” What I would give to be able to bend down and embrace But would it help our faith for the long haul? her one more time. What would it be like to hold her hand I can’t say life gets easier just because someone comes up anew, to look her in the eyes, and pick up where we left off to me and says “Keep the faith.” That sounds generic. Faith discussing life and its perils. Oh, if I could see Me-Ma again. is a big thing and when you look at the entire race of the

We hunger for people who really care. They’re few and far between. The ones who sacrifice their time and really listen, who are unafraid of inconvenience, and extend their caring touch.

Jesus touched the hemorrhaging woman, the woman caught in adultery, the blind, and people plagued with leprosy. He cares.

The late Frederick Buechner wrote, “What did it feel like to be near enough to touch him if you dared? If his eyes happened to meet yours for a moment, what would you say if you could find the right words for saying it, and how would he answer you if he could so much as hear you in the midst of all the babbling and jostling? What if just for a moment as he tried to shoulder his way out of the crowd he brushed against you so that for a second or two you actually Christian life all at once it’s overwhelming. I think we should tell folks who are having a rough go of it to “Keep the pace.” Since Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow we need to focus on the

day at hand. 12 // July 2020

My wife and I walk over two miles in our neighborhood every evening. We keep a good pace going up and down hills, never stopping until we reach home. The journey of the Christian life is not one of speed, but a faithful-steady pace.

However, we honestly long for a sign from above to get us through. We wanna know we’re on the right track when our prayers aren’t answered.

Oswald Chambers, wrote, “God can do nothing for me until I get to the limit of the possible.” Yeah, I’d love to actually see my Me-Ma and my Jesus when my world or the year like 2020 seems impossible, after I’ve prayed and prayed.

But Chambers adds, “Jesus never mentioned unanswered prayer. He had the boundless certainty that prayer is always answered. Paul said, “Never stop praying.” (I Thessalonians 5:17, NLT)

As you face this day, keep the pace, praying every step of the way.

About The Author

Nelson Haynes lives in Ringgold, Georgia, with his wife and 2 Labrador Retrievers. Both of their daughters are grown. Check out his writer’s blog at www.nelsonhaynes500words.com for more meditations. He has a Masters in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary and besides writing, his hobbies include riding his mountain bike; reading; movies; gardening ; painting and going on dates with his bride.