I hate it when I make a quick U-turn and hit the curb with my front tire. In that moment several thoughts fly through my mind:

• Why didn’t I just wait for the arrow?
• Why didn’t I gauge the distance more accurately?
• Why didn’t I just take a different route?
• I wonder if I knocked the front end out of alignment?
• I wonder if I should get it looked at?

Usually I adopt a “wait and see” attitude. Eventually, I might notice the car is pulling just a bit or riding a little less smoothly when I am sailing down the highway. In a month or two, I might notice the extra wear on one edge of the tire. 

It isn’t until I actually notice some damage that I take the time to make the appointment to get an alignment. I should have fixed it sooner, but now I realize that I don’t want the problem to get worse than it already is.

Realigning our faith

That’s often how it goes with our spiritual lives too. If you are a consistent reader of this blog post, you are probably not a person that ends up crashing your walk with God very often. Most Christians who spend time reading a blog like this one are people who care about their spiritual lives and living for God’s Kingdom purpose.

That said, all Christians will hit a curb once in a while, and our souls will need a realignment with God. The Lenten season is a great time to give thought to that purpose.

Is your soul showing a bit of wear around the edges? Is your walk with God a tad shaky, especially when life hits a higher speed? Do you feel pulled in some directions that you shouldn’t want to go? 

Jesus said that we should love God with all of our heart, all of our soul, and with all of our mind (Matthew 22:37). Jesus left his throne in glory and took on flesh so that he could die for every sin and weakness in our lives. Jesus died at Easter knowing that every Christian would need his sacrifice for their eternity and his Spirit for their daily spiritual lives this side of heaven.

How then can we submit to Jesus as our master mechanic and ask him to realign our souls with his Kingdom purpose? Easter is coming and we want to experience the Via Dolorosa with our Lord.

Jesus knew how to maintain his soul.

We don’t know who wrote the book of Hebrews, but we know he was a Jewish Christian who lived with a powerful knowledge of God through his Son. 

Hebrews 3–4 are amazing words of encouragement to God’s people to enter into the “rest” that our Christian faith offers. The Jewish people had been raised to live with a constant awareness of their sins so they could make the necessary sacrifices. There were so many rules to follow in order to feel like they were right with God.

Jesus and the New Covenant changed many things, nothing more significant than the New Covenant walk of faith. The sacrifice Jesus made at Easter was so that we would know, with certainty, we could rest with confidence in our salvation.

The author of Hebrews described Jesus saying, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

I’ve often wondered what Jesus was tempted by during his life. We know his original temptations after his baptism, but Scripture doesn’t describe what tempted Jesus two months or two years after that. We do know that Jesus understood the need to be constantly filled with God’s power. 

• Jesus withdrew to be alone with God and pray.
• Jesus left certain situations behind.
• Jesus wept, laughed, healed, encouraged, taught, and even became angry – all without sinning.

Jesus experienced a real life, in a real human body, and he experienced our human frailties. Jesus was the only one whose life never got out of alignment with God.

Draw near to Jesus and you draw near to God.

Have you ever imagined the reunion of Jesus with his Father in heaven? I will never fully understand the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. I do like to picture Jesus returning to heaven and running into the waiting Presence of God. Jesus must have been overwhelmed with the joy of, once again, being with his Abba, face to face.

The author of Hebrews encouraged his readers to approach Jesus like Jesus approached God.

He wrote, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

One of the best indicators that life is out of alignment with God is our approach to God.

When we have realigned our lives with God’s Kingdom purpose, we can approach him with confidence. When we have received the forgiveness that the blood of Jesus has provided us, we approach the throne of grace. We know that God’s grace is ours, and he stands ready to help us in our time of need. Easter reminds us that Jesus died so we could rest in the certainty of God’s amazing grace.

When our souls doubt the love, grace, and mercy of God, we can know that our souls are out of alignment with the “rest” that Jesus died to provide.

Your realignment will please God today.

Your Easter faith will please God. Easter faith understands the purpose and provision of God through the gift of his Son. God wanted us to be his children too.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” 

Our Easter faith will align us with God’s holy purpose in Christ. God stands ready to reward your faith in Christ and your desire to seek his guidance for your life.

Everyone hits a curb, for one reason or another. The gift of Easter is a free and perfect alignment anytime we draw near to our master mechanic with confident faith. You can walk with him today knowing you can be at perfect rest in your salvation. This Easter season will be blessed when you make the choice to realign your life with Jesus as your holy King.