It’s been said that the two best days of a boat owner’s life are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell it. I’ve heard the same thing said about motorhome owners. I’m not sure I buy it (pun intended), but I can speak from many years of experience and hundreds of thousands of miles traveling across the entire country that motorhomes take a beating.
The “motor” part seems to do pretty well, but the “home” part can try the patience of even the most patient person. Over the years we’ve experienced our brakes going bad just before heading into the mountains, headlights burning out heading down the most treacherous descent in Colorado, a full engine blown stranding us in Florida, a propane tank busting loose and nearly exploding in Alaska, electrical outlets catching fire, cracked windshields, leaks and countless other mishaps. Most recently, we had a tire blow on the way back from Lake Cumberland.
It has become a common saying with the Prices, “Well, there’s always something, (going wrong) so you just have to roll with it.” The spirit behind it is good; just being prepared mentally and otherwise to deal with whatever comes our way. During this past incident, however, the Lord politely but sternly cautioned me, “You need to watch your tongue!” At first, I began to reason with Him to help Him understand that I wasn’t mad at Him for letting this happen, and that I had a good heart about it. Yeah, you can laugh. That didn’t get me too far. He saw right through me.
He began to show me that I was part of the problem. More specifically, and quite literally, He said that I was inviting the trouble into my life. I instantly thought of the verse that talks about the tongue having the power of life and death. (Proverbs 18:21) In a nutshell, I was giving permission to Satan and his demons to wreak havoc on our RV and traveling plans as often as he wished. Now I can hear some thinking, “that’s a bunch of hogwash. You’re just over-spiritualizing a simple reality.” Believe what you will. But I know what I know to be true.
In James 3:3-5 in the Message paraphrase, it says this, “A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!” I’m not saying that mere optimism or positivity is enough. I am saying that we can speak life into everything around us, and that the Spirit of God can and will intercede on our behalf.
So, when feeling the onset of a cold, instead of saying “I’m getting sick,” replace it with “I’m fighting a cold.” Don’t own it. Resist it. Instead of saying “I’m never going to get out of this bad situation,” begin saying “this too shall pass. Lord help me push on.” Using our words to battle the schemes of the enemy is a great idea. Using His Words is even better! As we saturate ourselves in the Word of God, and pray for His strength and guidance, we will be equipped to travel the difficult roads ahead with peace and confidence.
~ Pastor Mitch