Explaining It Away

I had dinner in Disney World a few nights ago. For those of you who know me, your first reaction is probably, “Wow! That's pretty cool. How unusual!” After all, I have a full-time job, four kids and I live in New York. Quick hops down to the Magic Kingdom are definitely out of the ordinary for me.

If you're like me, your second reaction follows pretty closely on the heels of the first: “How did that happen? In other words, tell me the sequence of explainable events that resulted in your trip to Florida.”

But maybe instead we should try to remember – and even maintain – the amazement and wonder that we feel that first nanosecond after hearing some great news. Refuse to take a step back. Because no matter the explanation, it is an amazing thing God did, taking me out of the same ol', same ol' and plunking me down in a restaurant in Orlando (where the food was incredible).

I think we have a tendency to water down the awesome works of God. We hear that He parted the Red Sea – and then we seek to explain it in terms we are familiar with: they crossed at a very shallow point during the dry season, a wind lowered the water level sufficiently to expose an underwater ridge, etc. And if we can't fit a rational explanation to His miracles, we discount them as mere stories or metaphors.

Why not take the handiwork of God at face value? Does it really matter how He orchestrated my trip? The fact remains that He did. God chose something well outside of my experience and even outside my imagination and decided to bless me with it. He did it because He loves me and knew I would really enjoy His gift.

And that's all I need to know.