Teachings from the Trail Blog

I’m going to Las Vegas later today for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and all the accompanying hoopla.

Part of me is excited. Excited to be surrounded by thousands of other people who live as I live and enjoy what I enjoy – rodeo, country dancing and western lifestyle. There will be countless options for live country music. Post-performance appearances by the cowboys and cowgirls will draw big crowds to the dance halls. And then there’s the shopping — three convention centers host expos for vendors of western wares.

I’m also apprehensive. In a setting like Las Vegas, spending my nights in the dance halls surrounded by partiers, it will be difficult to keep God as my center. It will be easy to regress to my past lifestyle. Late nights and mornings of sleeping in could cut into my prayer and quiet time. My faith could easily be derailed. I prayed last night that God would show me how to continue to live my faith while I’m there. That he would give me the strength and courage I need to overcome temptations.

In my Bible study this morning, I read John 7:1-9. Jesus’ brothers urged him to join the crowds in Judea for the celebration of the Festival of Shelters. They scoffed at him for not going. His words struck a chord with me:

John 7:6-7 (NLT): Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil.”

His brothers could go to the celebration without concern because they lived as the world lived. They reveled with the crowds. Maybe they drank to excess, spent beyond their means, worshiped the celebrities of the day, gossiped or judged people harshly by external appearances. They didn’t stand out because they weren’t any different than the people around them.

I, too, am going to the celebration to mingle among the crowds. How will I be different than the crowds in Las Vegas? Will people notice me because I act differently? Will I rise above the crowds and live my faith? Will I take the opportunity to grow? I will because God is my strength and my shield.