Throw Your Hat Over the Wall

There’s an old story (it exists in many forms on the Internet!) about two friends were walking together when they came to a high wall. It stretched into the hills on both horizons. “So, Freddy,” Pete said, “I think we’ll have to turn around. We have reached the end of our road!”
Freddy grabbed Pete’s hat, a treasure he never let out of his sight, and threw it over the wall.
Pete flung himself to the ground in despair, angrily asking, “Why did you do that? That is my favorite hat! I’ll never see it again!” “Ah, I knew it was your favorite and that is why I threw it over the wall,” Fred said, “Now we will have to find a way to get over the wall.”

More than a few times in life I have thrown my hat over a wall, creating new challenges for myself, and then wondered why! The truth is I hope I never willingly abandon my journey simply because there is a high wall that appears to block the way. Part of me hates the difficulty of new circumstances, but another part of me knows that to surrender to them is to fail! Life is not trouble-free, but often, our ‘troubles’ become the soil in which God grows new opportunities!

18 months ago, I had no idea of the journey into sickness that my Dad was about to take, nor how his journey would involve me up until he died four months ago. But, when the situation called for it, I threw my hat over the wall and found a way to go after it! I’m so glad I did. I grew to know my Dad and my Heavenly Father in very new ways in that darkness!

When I was called to pastor my present church, I found many challenges. The easiest course of
action would have been to say, “I must have got this wrong. It’s impossible for me to serve here.” But, I knew that where God leads, God provides; that God is a way-maker!

The Word says, "The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." (Psalm 116:6-7, NIV) That word, “simplehearted” is about having a child-like faith, something akin to naivete; the willingness to attempt the impossible because it appears one doesn’t know any better! Is your faith in God so deep and strong that you will follow where He leads even when you look like a fool doing it?

So, what wall have you run into, disciple?
- Is your marriage a joyless one, with high walls standing in the way of rediscovery of your love? Will you quit or throw your hat over the wall?
- Is your faith barren of life, with high walls of doubt or fear blocking your experience of God’s presence? Again, I ask, will you quit or throw your hat over the wall?
- Is it a wall that keeps you from parenting well, from serving God with your spiritual gifts, that keeps you from giving to His work, that prevents you from regular practice of spiritual disciplines, …

There is a temptation to think that by turning away, life will become easier. It may- for a while- but then you’ll run into yet another wall! If you keep running, turning back from every challenge, the walls will close in on you! You will find yourself hemmed in by troubles, trials, doubts, and fears – perhaps even enslaved by sin – if you have refused to look for a way over that wall that stands between you and God’s highway of holiness.

The ancient Isrealites were led by God to the door of the Promised Land, but once there they believed the majority report of the scouts who told them that
“The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night." (Numbers 13:32-14:1, NLT) They refused to throw their hat over the wall and God let them wander for 40 years in the Sinai wilderness ‘til they died!

The next time they came to that moment of decision, they were inspired by the faithfilled leadership of Joshua who heard God tell him to throw his hat over the wall! “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." (Joshua 1:6-8, NLT) And they saw the Promise fulfilled!

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. … And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." (Hebrews 11:1, 6, NLT)
___________

My Lord knows the way
Thro' the wilderness;
All I have to do is follow.

Strength for today
is mine always
And all I need
for tomorrow!
My Lord knows the way
Thro' the wilderness
All I have to do is follow.


My Lord Knows The Way
Cox, Sidney E.© 1951. Renewed 1979 Singspiration Music (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., 741 Coolsprings Blvd., Franklin TN 37067)
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