Many of you have heard the tale of the mouse who rode the elephant across a bridge. After getting to the other side, the mouse said, “We really shook that bridge!”
Of course, it’s the elephant that shook the bridge, but the mouse rode the power!
We know that momentum is mass times velocity. The elephant has several thousand times more mass than the mouse, and the elephant can also run faster. In fact, for the two to have the same momentum, the mouse would have to travel faster than sound! But if the mouse simply rides the elephant, the mouse can rapidly plow through a jungle of obstacles.
I had a professor who said, “Just stay on the bus, and the bus will take you where you want to go. But you have to stay on the bus.” Holding onto this truth helped me to get through a tough doctoral program. Taking this saying to heart is similar to believing in one of my favorite scriptures: “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared” (Exodus 23:20). To get to where we’re going, it’s important to simply keep our eyes on Christ and trust that He’ll bring us victories that we anticipate.
As a therapist and marriage counselor for over 30 years, I’ve seen hundreds of “underdogs” take charge of their lives. Many of us have been underestimated and even treated unfairly. Others have been abused, have run afoul of the law, have been born with chemical imbalances, or have faced unimaginable family-of-origin horrors. Some people have simply had set-backs to their well-ordered lives and high expectations. None of this is easy and it takes a toll on us. So I try to remember that life isn’t fair, but God is MORE than fair. Sometimes we have yet to see what’s on the OTHER side of the bridge, “the place” that God has prepared.
Turmoil and confusion can be the beginning of creativity and victory. With a passion for the fulfillment of dreams, for victories over any obstacle, and for service to Christ – oftentimes with many miracles! – many have risen from ash heaps to mountain tops, from believing lies to believing the truth, from confusion to vision, and from defeat to victory. We can be just like that mouse! All we have to do is ride the elephant. And at the end of the ride we can say, “Wow, we really shook that bridge!”
Points to Ponder:
Before I shake the bridge, I want to know four things:
● It’s the right bridge (a call of God or one of my missions in life).
● It’s the right time.
● I’m ready for greater obstacles on the other side of the bridge.
● I’m ready to live a victorious life.
This is a marvelous idea <3 You my friend are indeed a noble man!
Karen, Well, I attain to be! But I “count myself not yet to have apprehended!” 🙂
It reminds me of how God calls us and empowers us at times. During this time, we see God moving and doing all sorts of things and we are amazed at all the energy that God has poured into moving and re-arranging things for His purposes. Like the mouse, we may feel “the power” and become a tad bit ego-centric. (I think of Constantine). Within a short time, however, we can find ourselves like a flat tire, wondering what the heck happened. In short, it’s good to enjoy the experience, not get an ego, and when you get to the other side of the experience, just be thankful it lasted as long as it did. Once on the other side, just keep walking in the “love walk”.
Great comment, Michael! I think that “walking the love walk” can be the same thing as “riding the elephant,” perhaps, depending on the size of the challenge to love. But of course that “love walk” will never fail you, as we know Who the love is!