“In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” (I Peter 5:10 NLT)
I wonder what entered your mind when you read the title above, “The Slide.” Did you think about PowerPoint Slides, Water Park Slides, or the one that I still can’t get right, “The Electric Slide?” Did you think about sliding out of work early, how you used a well-thought-out plan to slide out of a relationship, a partnership, or the fellowship of believers? Did you think about sliding on ice covered streets, or the highly esteemed slide rule of high school days? Of course many of you will have to look that last slide up. You will have to search the internet, being too young and unfamiliar with that classic sign of one’s intellect or academic status. I’m referring to the slide rule students carried, along with a stack of books and the prestigious pocket protector that was filled with more pencils and pens than one would ever use in an entire semester.
I hope some of you thought about the playground slide, a particular type of playground slide. I don’t want you to think about the curved slides, the tubular slides, spiral slides, or the various complex slides on school playgrounds that are combined with other physical activity challenges. I’m talking about the old-time playground style slide; the one with the steep incline that took forever to get to the top; the one where the climb was so steep that a few individuals would decide to abandon the climb and work their way back to the ground. You remember those children, don’t you? You had to get skinny so they could pass by, continuously being polite, “Excuse me! Excuse me! Excuse me!” You obliged and hung on for dear life as the one who decided not to continue the climb descended to what they thought was a better position.
That old playground slide, the one made of steel, standing as a structure that seemed like it would endure time, standing through all types of weather and withstanding every season of the year. It was an inviting piece of playground equipment. And once you reached the top, you got the joyful reward of sliding down. You smiled! You yelled! You crossed your arms, feeling quite secure. In days past, you would run and get back on the slide; stand in line and wait your turn to go through it one more time.
Yes, there is an analogy here to connect to your spirituality. If you noticed, every day, at the end of the meditations, you see these words, “Still committed to the climb.” Our direction as believers is always up and it is like we are climbing up a slide every day, anticipating that at the end of the day, we will exit our slide experience in a way that mirrored the way children came down the slide once they reached the top years ago; filled with joy that the Lord was with you every step of the way, yelling “hallelujah,” praising God for bringing you through the day. Feeling secure, with your arms crossed your to symbolically signal that you were safe in the arms of the Lord, and secure in His care.
Guess what? Right! Today, you must get back in line, staying committed to the climb, pressing on higher to experience the joy that only the Lord can give you; pursuing higher levels of faith, knowing that the Lord will see you safely through, even if there are some bumps and irregularities on the way down; praising God often with your hands in the air; bringing your hands down forming a type of cross to be reminded of the Savior whose commitment led Him to the cross so that we might be saved! Now know that things will try to distract you from your upward climb today! You will see some who changed their mind, but not you, my dear friend! You may get tired at times, but keep on climbing. For one day, in the future, you will reach a place where you won’t have to climb the slide anymore; a place where joys will truly never cease; a place where you can praise the Father and the Son! Are you ready to start your daily climb! Go ahead! Stay committed! Notice how you will get better at it each day too! Enjoy your day! I hope you are motivated this Tuesday morning! Be blessed!
“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14 ESV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King