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Acts of Faith: Sin that so easily entangles

A column by Patricia Bryan, pastor of His Path Christian Centre and the Academy of Prayer in Maple Ridge
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Every spring I enjoy watching the robins build a nest under our eaves. However, this year was not what I expected.  Everything had gone smoothly with the nest building and hatching of eggs until early one morning when I was horrified to see three baby birds dangling helplessly from their nest. They were entangled in what appeared to be nest twine.

Not knowing what to do, I quickly phoned my daughter and son-in-law who live on a farm and have more experience with animals.

With their help, It wasn’t long before the twine was cut from the birds and they were safely back in their nest.

It was sad to see that they had grown with green garden mesh tangled around them and when the first one attempted to leave the nest, they were all pulled out.

Later that day I realized a similar thing can happen to us.  That as we live day-by-day, we can also unknowingly become entangled in things that aren’t good or right for us and which hold us back.

Like the birds, we may be unaware of this until we try to take an important step in our lives and are unable to move ahead or make the decisions that will enable us to move ahead.

We can feel as though we’re in limbo - like the birds, dangling helplessly - striving to move ahead but unable to do so and often with a sense that there is something more for us, just beyond our reach.

We get into difficulty when our focus and priorities are on the wrong things.

For example, our own mistakes and goals as well as the glitz and empty promises that the world has to offer can hinder us from living the life God has planned for us.

It is only through keeping our hearts and eyes focused on Jesus and His ways that we gain the guidance we need to live a fulfilling and abundant life.

We learn His perspective for our life and have the peace and faith that carries us through good and bad times.

The Bible says in Hebrews that we are to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles...and run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

The race referred to is our life. Just like running a race, living our life requires focus, discipline, and hard work. But as we keep our focus on Jesus, He will lead the way one step at a time until we successfully reach the finish line.

Patricia Bryan is the pastor of His Path Christian Centre and the Academy of Prayer.