Obstacles, whether they are physical or mental, need to be cleared in order to proceed.

Some obstacles are so glaring there is no doubt what is keeping you from where you want to go. But then there are other more subtle obstacles, that we might not even be aware of, that are blocking us.

It could be something from your past, maybe some trauma, that raises its head when you find yourself in a certain situation. 

Let’s say that when you started learning to drive you had a really bad experience driving. That bad experience frightened you so that years later you find that you are afraid in certain driving conditions. You don’t know why, you just feel anxious. 

Well, maybe the obstacle in your way is that you never resolved or got over that frightening experience you had when you were first learning. Maybe you have forgotten all about it, but the obstacle is there and you don’t know how to get past it. 

It’s in your way, but you turn away from it, go back or go another way instead of dealing with it.

This week I was mountain biking and came to a part in the trail where there were some trees that had fallen across the path.  

My way was blocked by these obstacles. I had to get off my bike and lift my bike over them … and, in one case, crawl under them and drag my bike under with me.

The one tree was small – maybe only 5 or 6 inches in diameter. I decided that I would bring my compact saw with me the next time I rode. 

On my next ride, I easily cut through that tree and rode on. 

But then I came to the next tree.

It was much bigger than the first one – maybe 12-14 inches in diameter – and where it crossed the path was about 3 feet off the ground. 

It was a pain to get around. But there was no way I was even going to attempt to cut through it because of its size. 

You see, about 10 years ago, I came across a large tree that crossed a path that I rode all the time. I decided to cut through that one. 

But after cutting part way through it, I got impatient and tugged on it real hard.

When I tugged, however, I threw my back out. I spent three days on the floor in lots of pain every time I moved. 

So this week when I looked at this larger tree, I had flashbacks to my back pain. I didn’t even attempt to cut through it. 

On my next ride, however, I decided I would just try to start sawing it. 

It turned out that this tree was pretty old, dry and dead. I cut through it in about 15 minutes. Then I removed the blockage from my path. 

Obstacle will prevent you from moving on … but they don’t have to.

Here’s the thing: In your life you will come up against physical and mental obstacles. They need to be cleared. Seek God’s help with those obstacles. He can provide you with healing or the right perspective to resolve them so you can keep your way clear. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is your biggest obstacle right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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