Rolling

“That’s how I roll.” 

Have you ever heard that phrase?  I’ve heard it a few times recently.  I used to work with someone and it was one his trademark sayings, something you could count on frequently showing up in conversations with him, often in an amusing way.

“That’s how I roll” is used in reference to the way a person ordinarily does things.  It means “Other people may do something different but this is how I act in this situation. End of story.”

Yesterday I was talking with a person, someone who is going through some adversity, and his very good friend.  During the course of the conversation the friend mentioned that the reason he was there and helping as best he could was “Because that’s how God rolls.”

Whoa!  That changed the direction of our conversation a little bit.  He wasn’t present because he was a good friend, or a loyal friend, and therefore being present was the noble thing to do.  He was there because he was a Christian and as a consequence of his faith he lived his life according to certain values.   Values determined by God.  So he was present to his friend because that was what God was calling him to do. 

As I thought about this the Bible verses that came to mind was Isaiah 55:8-9,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

   neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

   so are my ways higher than your ways

   and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

These verses come in the midst of chapter 55, where Isaiah talks about the compassion that God has for his people.  It was a privilege for me to see God’s compassion being lived out in a human friendship, one where both friends knew who the Author of their friendship really was.

And pondering this brings to mind some current things going on in my life and my family where I am attempting to act not according to my “natural” instincts but in a manner more in agreement with the one I call my Lord and Savior. 

Because that’s how God rolls. 

I know that I am best off rolling His way rather than my own.  Where is He calling you to roll with Him?

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.