[I shared a post from June 16, 2009, with someone recently who professed it had a profound affect on them. I was moved to share the article again here, this time slightly altered and in a series of shorter posts.  So follow along with me on a Magic Carpet Ride – once again or for the very first time.]


What if the rug that has been pulled out from under you was really a magic carpet ride?

The economy – it has become such a major issue that we personify it by calling it “The Economy” (kind of like “The W” or “The Donald”). People are suffering. We are suffering. My business has been down, slower than any historical mark other than my first six months of start-up. Too many potential customers want to “wait and see” what happens next. I kid you not, they are waiting to see if their circumstances change before they make many more decisions. Scary but true; this is true victim thinking.

People who take the “wait and see” approach during tough times want God to make the first move. That’s not what he taught the people of Israel when they needed to get to the other side of the Jordon River.

Joshua 3:12-13 (New International Version)

¹² Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. ¹³ And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD – the Lord of all the earth – set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

I’m sure the people would rather have said, “God, how about you stop the waters first, THEN we’ll step into the river.” But God wants us to demonstrate our faithfulness, and He will deliver us.

At times, I feel trapped at the river’s edge. I have felt like the rug has been pulled out from under me. I have lost my footing, my bearings, my balance, my focus, my nerve…let’s face it, I have “lost it”. I have wanted to escape my current circumstances, so I pray that God will deliver me. I want Him to make his move. God almost always wants me to “take the first step into the Jordan”.

I know I am not alone. Maybe you have felt the same way for reasons unrelated or related to the economy. All of us lose our way from time to time. We risk joining those who merely wait for their circumstances to change. This “wait and see” attitude was especially troubling for me, since I am in the business of helping people get to the other side of whatever challenges they face.

This “wait and see” attitude is especially troubling for you, too.  It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, it’s time to “step into the Jordan.” Maybe then, and only then, will the waters part and give you safe passage.