Life Has No Shortage of Obstacles

Written by Amanda Hamilton

We’ve all been there…. Driving down the road on an otherwise uneventful errand, we notice that something just isn’t ‘right’. Our car is not handling properly. It becomes a little more of a challenge to keep it going straight. We tighten our grip on the steering wheel and force the steering wheel straight. It’s not that much effort at first, but as the weeks and months go on and we continue to handle the problem on our own, it becomes harder for us to control the vehicle. Sometimes our rides become less smooth as we even notice a vibration in the steering wheel when we are traveling at high speeds. And it’s harder on the vehicle too, as suspension is strained, fuel mileage is taxed and tires become unevenly worn. What we have been doing hasn’t really worked out that well – the problem is still there – so we decide to do something different. We finally take it to the expert, the mechanic, and discover we need a wheel alignment.

Sometimes, our lives become misaligned too. We forget who we are and why we were created. We use the wrong standards to measure ourselves and, as for navigation, we assume we can figure it out as we go.

From April 6th through the 10th, 19 women attended the Women’s Legacy Program at The Wilds in Ohio. When they arrived, they shared feelings of cautious eagerness, confusion, hopelessness and mistrust. They were showing the signs of years of misalignment. In some cases, they were aligned with warped standards, poor decisions or false hope. Over the course of four days, the Mighty Oaks Women’s leadership team shared truths with them – truths about who they are, why they were created and the fact that God has a plan and purpose for each and every one of them. Aligning themselves with God and his purpose for each of them would not fix their problems; God does not promise deliverance from our difficulties. What He promises is that in the midst of them, He will be with us. By aligning ourselves with God’s truths and holding fast to them, we can find the strength to endure and persevere.

The quiet seclusion of the Cabins at Straker Lake at The Wilds provided a welcome respite for these truths to sink in and find a foothold. God guided these women to Mighty Oaks and provided a beautiful location for them to learn about these truths. Activities like walking, fishing and boating provided time for lessons to be absorbed. Sharing meals, playing board games or just talking allowed the women to reach out and connect with others in an authentic way that had become foreign to them. True friendships were forged that will be a blessing in the years to come, as the ladies know they now have battle buddies in the trenches with them, like-minded sisters who they can reach out to when times get tough.

As Saturday approached and the ladies looked forward to returning home and implementing what they had learned, they were reminded that the situation at home would be the same one they left. Life has no shortage of obstacles; they were reminded of the potholes, the road hazards and the fender benders that they would encounter that could shake their alignment off course. As in a vehicle, our alignment needs to be on point so that our faith does not falter. Wheels are where the rubber meets the road. In our walk with God, it is where we put feet to our faith. This is where the work really happens, where the progress is made. When we are aligned properly with God, we can stay the course.