Anchors In the Desert

In Numbers 14, we see the story of the spies returning from Canaan, and the people decide that they won't trust God after all.  They want to call it quits and go back to their slavery.  God gets mad with their lack of faith, and wants to destroy them right then and there.  Moses prays for them, and God forgives them.  But then He says they will all die in the wilderness, and their children will inherit the land instead of them.  He curses them to wander around in the desert for 40 years until that whole generation passes away.

Here is what hit me as I was reading this.  Imagine in year 39 that you are the last one left of your generation, and all of the kids are waiting on you to die so they can get out of the desert.  Man!  That's a lot of pressure.  It's one thing to not be wanted, but it's another to have a million people waiting on you to die so that they can get on with their lives!

I don't want to be that person.  I fully realize that God hasn't declared that type of curse on us today.  But, I don't want to be a person who is holding back God's plans for a group of people.  I don't want to be a dad that holds back my kids because of my sin.  I don't want to be a husband who holds back my wife because of my lack of faith.  I don't want to be a friend who holds back my friends because I'm afraid to trust God.  I don't want to be a pastor who holds back my ministry because I want to be comfortable and do things the way "they used to be".   I don't want to be that person.  I don't want to be an anchor in my community, dragging along, holding us back from God's blessing.

What in your life needs to change so that you are following close on Christ's heals, leading the way, instead of holding everyone around you back?