Ephesians 2:1

Ephesians 2:1 It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. (The Message)

This verse made me think of the words - mired and stagnant. Mire can mean not only a thick slimy mud to get stuck in, but also can be an oppressive situation that is difficult to escape from. And stagnant means not flowing or moving, no making progress or not active.

Think about a stagnant pond and how the grey and murky muck changes the color and consistency of the water. What happened to the pond, why isn't it a good color and why isn't the water flowing? Is it dead water?

These ponds can be like our lives where we often get stuck in the nooks and crannies of living and stop moving or if we do move, it's our way.

I love to listen to Bon Jovi and especially the song "It's My Life". Part of it says, "It's my life, it's now or never, I ain't gonna live forever, I just want to live while I'm alive." Like Frankie said, "I did it my way."

When I look at the words of that song, it makes me see that even if my life is mine, it really isn't. It's true I'm not going to live forever (on earth) and I really do want to live it while I'm alive. And as tempting as it is to live it 'my way', I know I must live it 'God's way'.

So I'm trying to tie my thoughts together - mired, stagnant and my way (the worlds way). If we let God, he will take our stagnant lives from the mire and get us moving into the clean and clear running water and there we can live our life, while alive, his way.

Nancy