Vulnerable on the Ice

Most people have heard the story of Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:22-34). He made a request to Jesus (who was also walking on the water) to be able to walk on water and Jesus granted his request and told Peter to come to Him. 

Peter walked on the water towards Jesus. That is until Peter looked at the strong winds and the waves and he became terrorized and began to sink. And Jesus reached to Peter and pulled him to safety.

We read the story and are either amazed that Peter was able to do so or we write him off as faithless because he was afraid and sank.

I personally have spent a major portion of my life walking on water; which really isn't that hard considering the fact that it is in a frozen state when I do so...Usually going thirty miles per hour with a piece of 1/4" steel strapped to each foot.

So walking on water (for me) doesn't seem to be that big of a deal...that is until I try to do so when it it ISN'T frozen or else when I don't have skates on. Then, for me, it is very hard to walk on water.

I ran into this recently when I was making my rounds around the local ice rinks picking up hockey pucks. I hit a patch of ice (on the ice) and my feet almost slipped from beneath me. Almost; but I didn't...and I was able to stabilize myself and not fall down.

I voiced a "thanks" to the LORD for His intervention as I continued my journey around the rink and then made my way home. 

When I arrived home and stepped out of my vehicle, I hit a very small patch of ice in my driveway and went from standing upright to a horizontal position of the ground in a millisecond; tearing my jeans as I cut my knee on the frozen ground.

I voiced a "thanks" to the LORD for His intervention as I brushed myself off and went into the house to attend to my knee that was now bleeding. 

As I was taping a gauze pad to my knee, I pondered how I was unable to do the simple task of walking on a tiny piece of ice; after all I do it several times a week on rinks that are about 1,400 square feet. The piece of ice that I slipped on was only about one square foot!

Had I, like Peter, taken my eyes off the LORD; troubled by my surroundings? 

No, I was simply missing a key component necessary for me to walk on water; my ice skates. 

And yet, like Peter, I realized that even with skates I still need the LORD to do what I do. My ability to walk on water was predicated by my ice skates.

That slip on the ice in my driveway was a wake-up call to me how complacent I can get as I look to myself to do what I do.

Symbolically, the ice skates represents the gifts, abilities, and anointing that comes from the LORD that enables me to do what I need to do. I realized (as I was bandaging my wound) just how vulnerable I am in this life; how dependent I am upon the LORD. 

There is no way that I can walk through the slipperiness of this world on my own efforts or strength. And just like walking on ice, it doesn't matter how often or many times that I have done something...Simply put, I NEED HIM FOR EVERYTHING THAT I DO!

So I pondered...how many times have I tried to do things in my own strength and abilities as I lean on my past experiences? 

How many times have I ignored the near slips or the actual slips as opportunities for me to hear the LORD calling out to me to look to Him instead of myself?

Bottom line: we ALL need Jesus.

One of the problems with having successes is that we have the illusion that we can do this on our own, and so we slowly drift away from Him.

But when we slip and fall day after day after day trying to do things in our own strength; that is when we become more aware of how much we need Jesus.

The Good News is that when we turn and call out to Jesus, He IMMEDIATELY welcomes us with open arms

Oh Jesus; help me to see You and to keep my eyes upon You lest I continue to slip and fall or sink...

Keep your stick on the ice; I'm pulling for you!

A Cup of Coffee from My Dad

It was a cold Sunday evening in December. The year was 2004 and I was lying in bed in my bedroom on the second floor of the house recovering from ankle surgery. My left foot had been damaged during a trip to the mountains the summer before.

This was one of those LONG nights when the boredom and restlessness of lying around on bedrest was starting to get to me.  And, because Cathy would soon be leaving for church for the evening classes, it would be another LONG evening alone with my thoughts as the children were also at church with the Youth Group.

Because I had reconstruction surgery without screws or any mechanical device, I had to be in a cast up to my knee from October thru March until my ankle was fully healed. A portion of that time was spent lying in bed with my leg propped up.

I passed the time on bedrest by playing guitar; which can be a challenge to do while propped up in bed. Some of my time was spent watching TV or movies. I remember one day when Cathy came home to find me watching a “Little House on the Prairie” miniseries and asked me why…

I told her that I appreciated the “Miracle on Ice” movie that she picked up for me; BUT it was producing too much testosterone. “Little House on the Prairie” had a calming effect on me.

Before Cathy left for church she asked me if she could get me anything. I looked around the room at responded with; “No, thank you.” So, she kissed me good-bye and headed out the door.

No sooner had she pulled out of the driveway, when the thought came to me that I should have asked her to make some coffee. Without really thinking, I said to God; “Dad, I really want coffee…I should have asked Cathy to make some before she left” and let out a sigh and flipped through the channels on the TV…

About twenty minutes later, I heard someone come in the rear door and start walking on the first floor of our house! I stretched my body to listen for who it might be and realized that both Cathy and the children were at church.

Thinking that perhaps one of them had come back for something, I laid back on the pillow. Immediately, I heard the person starting to walk up the wooden staircase to the second floor!

Normally I don’t get afraid of things that go bump in the dark but in my situation, I felt very vulnerable knowing that I couldn’t really defend myself or flee.

As I tried to calm myself down, a friend of one of my daughters poked her head in my bedroom. She was carrying a tall cup of coffee and handed it to me saying; “My dad said to bring it to you because you wanted it”.

I asked her what she meant and she said; “My dad said the bring this to you; he’s waiting in the car for me.” and left the room, went down the stairs, and slammed the rear door as she made her way outside to join her parents.

Many thoughts rushed my mind, including how did she get inside of a locked house? (It turns out that she got a key from one of my children)

I grabbed the directory to look up her parent’s phone number and called them. Her mom answered the phone and told me that they had been on their way to church and her husband stopped the car and said that he needed to pick up a cup of coffee for me. When asked why he said that he didn’t know for sure.

I shared what I had “prayed” to my Heavenly Father regarding wanting a cup of coffee and to her it made sense; especially since the time her husband turned the car around was roughly twenty minutes ago, somewhere around the same time that I had “prayed” for a cup of coffee.

I will admit that situations like this don’t prove that God exists or that He cares for minor issues like me wanting a cup of coffee. After all, some skeptics would argue, He has much bigger items to deal with than getting me a cup of coffee.

Some might feel as though I am foolish for believing that there is someone behind of this; who made all of this. Someone who cares deeply for me and cares deeply for even (seemly) insignificant items like getting me a cup of coffee.

Ok, I will also admit that I would not make a great atheist; because I don’t have enough faith. I think that it takes too much faith for me to believe that ALL of this came from nowhere.

But what if He did answer me? Perhaps God had heard and had answered my prayer. Perhaps her husband had heard God speak to him since he instructed his daughter to say; “My dad said to bring it to you because you wanted it”.

Either way I had a good cup of coffee.

Either way I thanked Him (and the family who sent the coffee over).

Either way I was a little bit warmer on that cold Sunday evening in December.

“…those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” -Psalm 34:10

The Birth of Jesus

"At the point of our deepest betrayal, when we had run our furthest from Him and gotten so lost in the woods we could never find our way home, God came and died to rescue us." - from 'The Sacred Romance' by Brent Curtis & John Eldredge

“About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped Him in a blanket and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:   

        Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
         Peace to all men and women on earth who please Him.

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!” (Luke 2:1-20 MSG)

All Scripture from The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson