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Therefore, since God Isn't a Helicopter Parent


           Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.  “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.  See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.  Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done. (Hebrews 12:12-17)
   
          Therefore, because you know that God will walk with you through the tough times but won’t hover, solve all your problems, or prevent every pain, get on your feet and start exercising those physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and volitional muscles. Get ready to hike, and remove the debris from your path where necessary. God isn’t going to swoop in to mediate between you and every person who makes you uncomfortable. Figure out how to resolve differences.
          “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone,” the author of Hebrews tells us. Figure out how to get along. And the world says, “That’s what we’re trying to do!” But then the author of Hebrews adds those four words: “and to be holy.” To that, the world says, “We can’t all live like that.” We are told to see to it that:
          No one falls short of the grace of God
          No bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many (bitterness is contagious)
          No one is sexually immoral
          No one is godless like Esau, who sold his inheritance rights for a cup of soup.
          Each of these needs consideration, and I think that’s how we’ll spend the next few days.

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