“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

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When I was growing up in Kenya, we prepared our farm land for planting during the dry season. The soil was hard to cultivate by hand, so we used draft animals to break up the ground. With yoked steers, we were able to plow large areas in a short time.

The smoothness with which the steers pulled the plow depended on the direction they were going. When they pulled toward home, they moved in a straight line. When they pulled away from home, they moved in a crooked manner, and pressure had to be applied to make them cut a straight line.

Since I became a Christian, I realized that our spiritual walk toward Heaven could be compared to steers plowing a strait furrow. As long as we keep our eyes fixed on our eternal home, we can overcome life’s challenges that would otherwise cause us to “swerve” off track. When we try to be in charge of our own lives, charting our own course instead of focusing on the Creator, our path becomes like the crooked lines that the steers cut when pulling away from home.

The emotions that come upon us when we face challenging life experiences are similar for both Christians and non-Christians. However, the responses to those emotions differ greatly. For those grounded in Christ, the consolation comes from knowing that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Our hope is that even in hard times God has the situation under His control. That is what keeps us moving forward steadily toward our goal, despite obstacles that come up along the way.

Each passing day draws us closer to our home, and each day on our way home is special. May we live every day as though it were our final day on earth. It can never be repeated. Cherish this day as you keep focused on the eternal goal, and enrich others on your way to Glory Land.