New Design...New Post

Wow. This new background template should wake us all up! Whew.

It's me! Yes, I'm alive and blogging. As usual there are about 50 blog posts in me, but let me start with observations on John 6. If only I had the time to sit and write and write...

As I am preparing to lead a study in John later this summer, I'm re-reading this Gospel in the New Living Translation. One morning recently I read John 6:16-21. The familiar story of Jesus calming the storm held some new realizations for me.

John 6:16-21 (NLT)
16 That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him.
17 But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum.
18 Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough.
19 They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified,
20 but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!”
21 Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!

The first thing I observed was that when the disciples went ahead without Jesus, a storm blew in. Isn't that just perfect? How many times do we bring on our own storms by leaving Jesus behind as we row into our own plans. You can pretty much count on the sea getting "very rough" when you leave Jesus behind.

What if the disciples had waited for Him? The darkness was falling, and they panicked. They came up with a plan B because they could not wait upon the Lord. Hmmm. Know anyone like that?

Next I noticed who initiated reconnection in the storm: Jesus. He did not forget about them or think that the storm served them right. He sought them out. He walked right out to them. Isn't it comforting to know that Jesus holds us, longs for us and reaches out to us when we fail?

I love how the disciples are described as EAGER to let him in the boat. Indeed! But we can learn from that too. How many times do we beat ourselves up, saying, "If only..." or "I don't deserve forgiveness." While it's true that our decisions bring consequences with them, it is also true that we serve a merciful Lord and that we need to learn to be EAGER to get Him back in our boat. Keep a short list of sins. When you blow it, repent, reconcile, and get Him back in the boat! The sooner the better!

Finally, once they had Jesus in the boat they immediately reached their destination. I've been thinking about this lately. I have this plan for my life, and my prayers often reflect the elements necessary to achieve MY plan. But really, what is the destination? For me it truly has become Peace with God. That's my destination. What could possibly be worth missing out on that? I need to keep concentrating on our relationship, and leave the steering to Him. If He's in my boat, I've already reached my destination. I need to relax into the journey.

God's Word is simple and complex. Simple enough to read and understand. Complex enough that with each perusal the nuances become clearer. I just love that.

Good night!

Enjoying the Journey

Today is day four of a four day week end. The "to do list" is partially conquered, but really, there's never an end. On top of that I'm a wee bit blue and feeling unmotivated. So, I'm gifting myself a gentle kind of day - puttering here and there without time pressure. I need to be gentler to myself at times.

I'm the current STOP of a traveling book, All the Way to Heaven by Elizabeth Sherrill. I have very little time to read anything other than class materials, and I tend to spend any time I do have on my Bible study. But I'm not ready to forward this book quite yet because it really is a gem.

These quotes have made me pause as I read them just now.

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied, "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way." ~Minnie Louise Haskins

"Our hand in his is of course a poet's way of expressing trust. And why should dark be better for our journey than daylight? Because, I've come to feel, holding our hand is God's delight."

"Getting there, even to some noble goal, is not as important to God, I suspect, as the journey in companionship with him. It's relationship, not achievement, that he wants."

"It's an hour by hour, minute by minute thing, Andrew [as in Brother Andrew] said. 'God doesn't set us a task and come back later to see how we've done. He goes with us every inch of the way.' And it's along the way that the important thing happens, the creature falling in step with the Creator."

Of course I know all this in my brain. But this speaks to my heart. My "to do list" heart with the mentality that often rates a day by its productivity.

Today is not overly productive, or at least not as productive as I'd like. But I am in relationship with the One who understands the blues, knows the causes and holds the solution. I'm leaning in. I want to bring him delight - the delight of my still hand in His, even for moments at a time, is a lovely picture indeed.