Trying to get back into the saddle is a bit more difficult than I imagined.  We get out of habits or routines for a time only to wrestle with stuff getting back to the norm. Here is an example.  Tons of people are going to sign up for health clubs during the next few weeks having made the resolution to get in shape.  Most of those new exercise fanatics will fall by the wayside by March or April.  We saw it happen every year when I was a health club member in Louisiana.  You could not get to the equipment for a month or two but by summer we were back to the same regulars who went year round.  Maybe one or two held on the their resolve but most would lose focus then wander away.  Think of me as one of those new members at the moment while trying to get back to life as I knew it.

There is also another thought to this theme.  Perhaps it would not be smart to get into the same saddle I had prior to all of the treatments and the transplant.  It could be that is time for a new saddle along with everything else.  Life is far more than just going back to what we had if that is far from God's best.  Paul would write to the Romans that they should discover God's will as they are transformed by His presence.  That may mean learning new stuff so we go on new journeys.  It may also mean letting go of the old that served as baggage though we had nowhere to go.  Being in the saddle should be no option for the believer but we tend to take it as something we may not care for.

Some avoid the journey from past hurts that haunt us.  There are believers that mean well but they are scared of anything new they cannot control.  Maybe we should not blame them as their scars are very real.  But they are missing out on God's best to settle for comfort now.  Others may avoid the journey as they enjoy the current saddle.  It fits them like a glove and doing anything new just doesn't appeal to them.  Theirs is a faith that recycles the memories of yesterday without a challenge to them.  That leads to a life without excitement, danger or faith.  People like that look good in their pews but notice if there is any real depth to their life.  We can go on and on but you get the idea.

Count me as one who wants a new saddle now.  Six weeks of being away from a normal life gives you a perspective.  Going back to my old saddle actually unnerves me a bit.  God wants to get us in the saddle with the purpose of keeping us new and fresh.  We do not face obstacles just because God wants to punish us but He longs to make us alive.  We fall short of His will if we are mad He wants us to change those saddles.  We fail to move forward when fear keeps us far away from the horse.  I want neither of those options.  Now that is not to say any of this is simple as it is not.  Neither is any of this painless.  But we get into all of this knowing our truest of hearts is aimed toward God and not self.  I choose to trust Him in these days of new discovery.  Maybe you can also.

Bro. Trey