When Encountering Fog...

Can you remember the last time you were traveling somewhere and came up on a heavy fog?

A weather man can give a "meterological explanation" for how fog develops.  My knowledge of fog is less sophisticated. But, what I do know is that you can't see through it.  And...it really slows down your travel time!

Not all fog is visible.  Can you remember the last time you found yourself in a spiritual fog?  Just like a visible fog, spiritual fog can settle over our lives slowly and quietly.  And, it affects how we travel through life.

The Book of James was written to Christians who were living in hard times.  Questions about God, the significance of faith, arguments within house churches, and painful trials and fatigue settled in over their lives.  Faith, peace, courage and wisdom had come to a crawl in their lives.

It is said that sunlight creates conditions whereby fog dissipates and eventually lifts.  The same is true spiritually.  Perhaps that's why James penned these words:
"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word,which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

"Be slow to speak and slow to anger."  Good advice when entering fog.  Our nature is to go quickly...everywhere.  "Foggy" moments warrant slowing down, getting quiet in our spirits and allowing God to speak to us.  "Slow to..." is often a prelude to blessing.

Be quick to hear.  It's often the last thing we want to do.  Jesus said, "Take care how you listen."  So many blessings can be found and pains averted by simply listening to wisdom.

Put aside the junky stuff.  Our hearts can get gummed up with all kinds of things.  The kind of stuff that empowers spiritual fog and makes a bad situation worse.  Pride speaks to our hearts and we listen.  The word of God is usually close by but only humility can allow it admittance into our hearts.

Be a doer of the word.  Engaging the word provides insight and perspective that helps us see the road ahead.  It gives us the counsel and direction we need to move out of the fog into the spiritual express lane.  James says such a person will be blessed in what he does (v. 25)

Are you encountering a foggy patch of road?  Perhaps these words from James can be just the thing to help you move around it and into a place of strength and blessing.

Father, we need your word to help us through the foggy times in our lives.  May we always surrender ourselves to the wisdom of your word.  It is truly a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.  Amen.

Randy Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas