When I was a wee child, only just 6 years old, I made a Go-Cart. I had no money, so I put my creativity to work. Using jam jar lids for wheels and nails for axles, I assembled my very own Go-Cart. The idea was brilliant, or so it seemed at the time. Obviously, the whole thing collapsed under my weight, and I had to go back to the drawing board.

This past weekend I celebrated my 51st birthday. My son Nathan (who always loved this story) decided to gift me with a replica Go-Cart. This was how the Go-Cart was SUPPOSED to work… I’ll let you figure out how we made this one to work.

As a Jesus follower, I am still that creative child. I’ve explored many brilliant (and not so brilliant) ways to live the Jesus life. But what I am learning most is that my IDEAS cannot carry the weight of living this life. My strategies and efforts are like jam jar lids, they collapse underneath me. This is exactly what I have discovered through trial and error: unless Jesus and His Spirit lift me and hold me, I will collapse.

Maybe by now you have figured out how I made this Go-Cart work. If not for the solid 2×4 supports hidden beneath it, it too would collapse. Jesus is my solid support hidden beneath me. Only He can make my life as a Jesus follower fruitful. There’s nothing wrong with being creative, and devising ways to grow as a Jesus follower. But through it all, always remember: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you… apart from me you can do nothing..” (John 15:4-5)