Hi. Welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host for the daily challenges. This week’s topic is part of our series called Jesus Is… where we’re trying to learn about the identity of Jesus, through studying some key stories in the Bible.

Our daily challenges are meant to help you explore what it means to follow Jesus, even if you don’t have a lot of time. We have a rhythm that keeps us in sync, even if we’re not a community that meets together in person regularly. Every Monday we introduce the week’s idea. Every Tuesday we study it in the Bible. Every Wednesday we see how that challenges and transforms our thinking on the topic. Thursdays we try to apply and live it out. Friday is a day for prayer and reflection before we take a rest on Saturday, and Sundays we meet together with others in community.

Three years ago, my family moved and we didn’t have use for a white microwave cart anymore. I decided I would turn it into a play kitchen. It was white, had cupboards and a low surface I could turn into a stove. I took a bunch of measurements, made a detailed plan, and bought a few supplies. My wife went and bought some play food to stock the fridge.

In three years, I’ve managed to add some shelves, cut one cupboard door in half, and that’s it. Our oldest is probably at precisely the point where he’s grown out of playing with play kitchens, but I figured I would still finish the project for our second.

Finally last week, my wife convinced me to buy a play kitchen online. I knew it was the right thing to do – it was way nicer than the one I’d be building. But she had to push me – I had to swallow my pride if I was going to give up this long-term project.

Have you ever been pushed into something? It doesn’t have to be something bad – maybe it was something good you simply found yourself short of motivation or courage.

Were you hanging back at an auction, and a friend coughed so the auctioneer would look at you?

Afraid to put your hand up at a meeting and ask a difficult question, when your colleague raised it for you?

Leaning on a wall at a wedding, when someone pulled you out on the dance floor?

A similar kind of story happened with Jesus, when he was at a wedding, and his mother pushed him to help save the happy couple some embarrassment.

We’ll study that tomorrow, but first,

Question: When have you been pushed into something? Why were you reluctant, and what motivated you?

Meeting with a Group?  Your discussion questions are in this week’s Group Study Guide