Walking on Water

Jesus called me out of the boat again today. Told me to keep my eyes on Him, to not look down at the circumstances, at the difficulty – no, the impossibility – of my situation. Essentially, to walk on water.

I have to admit to having a thought, “what, again?” I mean, every time I’m called to step out of the boat I wind up cold, wet and slimy; in short, miserable. Oh, sure, there a few steps of faith – and maybe more than there were last time – but still, leaving the boat seems to sooner or later result in a drowning feeling until Jesus picks me back up.

So today – I’ll be honest – I groaned when He called. The boat is relatively safe and dry and c’mon, it’s going where Jesus wants it to. Besides, what about all the other people in the boat? Why am I the only one who has to get wet again and again and again?

Because He loves me and knows that we’d both rather that I dance on the waves with Him than spend eternity in the boat. (And yes, the others are called to do the impossible as well; I just don’t often get to see it happen.)

This morning, Jesus pointed out to me just some of my improvement in this water-walking thing. He reminded me that I used to become distracted by the wind and fearful of its blasts. Not so much any more. Now I can be distracted by and fearful of the waves. But that’s a huge improvement. And if Jesus can teach me by trial and a lot of error to ignore the wind, He certainly will be successful in teaching me that the waves are there to be stepped on.

Sure, I keep getting cold and wet: the lessons result in great discomfort and I can feel overwhelmed at times. But I have a little glimpse of what Jesus knows for sure: that we’re getting there and that someday, running on water will be just like running on dry land – only it will be even more fun!

Unexpected Gifts

Recently God gave me a gift that is not only complete unexpected but is greater than I anything I could have imagined. Picture, just by way of illustration, receiving a winning lottery ticket worth $100 million despite not playing the lottery.

And the gift is ongoing and growing. You could picture that $100 million being delivered in weekly installments of, say, $50,000. But the picture that comes to my mind is that of someone who is poor, destitute, living in a third world country with no reason to expect a life different than that of his father and his father’s father before him. But some benefactor (Oprah on vacation?) swoops in and provides him with a college education in America, all expenses paid.

In the old days, if I was that young man, I would be grateful and excited. I would joyfully begin my new life and then, within a few weeks, I would probably begin to worry about next semester. What if my benefactor stops paying my tuition? What if I don’t maintain the grade point average that my benefactor has in mind? (Never mind that no such requirement was ever mentioned.) What if this is all a dream, a brief interlude that will end as quickly as it began?

“How silly,” we would say. The gift is a gift. It will not be taken away. It is not contingent on your performance. Its intent is not to set you up for a fall. And it is not a partial gift: it will be completed.

I am grateful – not only for the gift but that God has been and is working in me an assurance that it is truly, in every sense of the word, a gift.

Enjoy!

Whom Shall We Believe?

For many years now, my children have been among my best teachers about the Kingdom of God. Sure, they usually are unaware of the lessons they give but those lessons are no less powerful for their innocence. Recently, my son taught me a lesson about who I listen to.

My son, who is seven, has a friend in the neighborhood with whom he likes to play at every opportunity. The two boys share a lot of interests and get along well. If I had to express one complaint about this other boy, though, it would be that he opines and prognosticates on any and every subject that arises and does so with a certainty and authority that invite no question. Unfortunately, his desire to express himself seems to be paramount; truth runs a distant second if it even places at all.

My son often wants to know when his friend will be available to play and, as with everything, his friend is quick to offer definitive answers. They’re not necessarily (or often) correct but delivered with than assurance that leaves my son harboring no doubt as to their veracity.

On one particular day, at 5:30 in the afternoon, the friend was called to dinner. My son immediately wanted to know if they would be able to continue playing after dinner. My son was crestfallen when his friend confidently replied that he would be going to bed immediately after dinner because it was a school night.

Having a few years of experience under my belt as well as knowing the habits of this particular family, I knew without a doubt that no such bedtime was planned by the boy’s parents and that, in all likelihood, the boys would have plenty of time to continue playing after dinner.

I explained this to my son who objected that his friend had been quite clear about his plans for the rest of the evening. I countered by reminding my son of his friend’s track record – which was as close to perfectly wrong as one could imagine. My son then had the choice of believing me, his dad who didn’t appear to be involved and to have reason to know what he was talking about – or his friend who, after all, would seem to be the best source of information since it was his life and plans we were talking about.

How often do I make the mistake my son did! God says one thing and somebody else make a pronouncement or a plan or even takes an action that is in direct contradiction to God’s promise. And I listen to the other person because that’s real, right?

The good news is that, slowly but very surely, God is showing me that, despite my doubts and the assurances of my senses, there is only one Reality.

New Every Morning

In the film, 50 First Dates, Drew Barrymore plays a woman who, due to an accident, forgets the events of each day when she wakes up the next. Hers is a terrible disability and not one I would ever wish for. But recently I’ve been thinking of the positive aspect of her misfortune: that every day is a new experience, completely unencumbered by the events of the preceding day. There is also no worry about tomorrow since the cares of today will be by then forgotten.

Isn’t this what Jesus called us to do when He said we must become like little children if we would enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 18:3)? I remember summer vacations from elementary school while I was growing up. Every day was new and completely unencumbered by thoughts of what I had to do tomorrow or how many days until school started. Every day was like that. There was no thought of tomorrow or even of yesterday. Sure, if my parents had a vacation planned or a visit to Grandma and Grandpa, that’s what we did. But the planning belonged to my parents: I just got up in the morning and discovered, often moment by moment, what wonderful things the day had in store for me.

I think God is trying to get me back into that state, that state of wonderful expectation. He certainly makes sure that each day goes completely differently than I had expected (or, more often, than I had worried). As day after day unfolds in a very different way than I had expected, I’m beginning to lose faith in plans. Is that really so terrible?

I wonder what my dad has in mind for today?

Fighting the Battles

I have a couple of major battles in my life (who doesn’t?!). To be perfectly honest, I don’t often feel like fighting them. And hey, I tell myself, isn’t God on the throne? Can’t He fight – and win – these battles without my help? Didn’t God tell the Israelites, “YHWH will fight for you; you need only be still” (Ex 14:14)? And didn’t Jesus say to turn the other cheek?

But I have this sneaking suspicion that I am just multiplying excuses for not doing what is unpleasant, time-consuming, emotionally draining and even a little scary (after all, my enemies may hit back). I am reminded of all the times God requires His people to do something as part of the battle that He wins. For every time He sovereignly and independently wins a battle for His people, it seems like there are at least a dozen other times when He tells them to do such-and-such and the battle will be won – still miraculously but with their human cooperation.

I think of all the times David and Joshua were given specific battle plans. I think of Jonathan and his armor bearer stepping out in faith alone against the entire Philistine army saying, “Nothing can hinder YHWH from saving, whether by many or by few” (1 Sam 14:6). Would God have even fought those battles without a person’s cooperation?

I believe God wants me to put aside the easy, the safe and the enjoyable when He sounds the battle trumpet and calls me to war. I’d rather not, to be honest, but if He has called, who am I to second-guess the outcome? After all, He’s just asking me to show up and walk through any doors He sets before me. God is the one who does the real fighting that both gets the doors open and wins the war.

Good Disasters

Just the other day I went for a very long bike ride. Half-way into the outward-bound leg of the journey I got a flat tire. Bad. I started walking. I met a man who told me there was a bike repair shop about three miles away – if it still existed. This was going to take hours. But I kept walking.

I came to a gas station. No help there. But while I stood around searching for bike repair shops on my iTouch, two separate people, in the midst of their own disasters, stopped to ask for directions. I was able to not only give them the direction they were seeking but, as we talked, I was also able to give them some additional advice about the problems they were experiencing – I had been their way before.

Back to walking. This time it occurred to me to ask God for a miracle – an angel, someone – anyone – who could help me.

Within two minutes I came upon another problem, another potential disaster: a traffic light was out on the busy road on which I was walking. And elderly lady had stationed herself in the intersection, directing traffic in an attempt to prevent an accident. She came over to me to talk and, before I knew it, she was offering to give me a ride to a bike repair shop.

I don't pretend to know all the good that God did that day in those situations but I do know that, had my tire not blown, had those two people not gotten lost, and had that particular traffic light not failed, the four of us would not have enjoyed the blessings we did. Oh, sure, we would have gone through the day without those difficulties but we certainly would not have know the pleasure of helping each other or of seeing God's hand at work. In fact, we probably wouldn't have noticed that the day had gone smoothly – we would have expected it.

Sure, these were very minor problems compared to the fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, oil spills, etc. that some people experience. I've experienced one or two “real” disasters in my life. But as with my experience on my bike, I've become convinced that God can and does work unimaginable good through what can often seem to be a unredeemable, unmitigated disaster.

What is Mine

How many times have I see the following scenario played out: I give one of my children something they enjoy – for example, a package of gum or Kit Kats, something that is more than they can consume or use at the moment, something that they will enjoy now and which they can, if they choose, keep and enjoy again and again. And then that child's sister or brother comes along and asks for a piece of the gift – a stick of gum, a segment of a Kit Kat. So often the response is “No, this is mine” or “But then I won't have enough.”

Where does my son or daughter think the candy has come from? Do they think they have labored long and hard and brought it into existence or, at least, into their possession? Furthermore, is this the one and only time I have given them such gift? Do they have no hope or expectation of ever seeing such bounty again in the future?

Of course, these are rhetorical questions for I have no understanding why they would think the way they do (their thinking being made so clear by their actions). I gave them this gift – as I have many times before and as I will surely do many times again – unexpectedly and not because of anything they have done but simply because I love them and love to make them happy.

It pains me that they would cling so ferociously to what I have given them as a free gift and what I plan on giving them again, from what is an essentially endless storehouse of love and gifts.

Why, oh, why do I do the same to the poor, the needy, the even momentarily less fortunate? Do I not trust my Father??