I am really excited to share with you all an area that I have a hard time understanding. This is a place that I stumble with almost everyday. It is a struggle that I have in life and am finding a way to a greater hope by placing my trust wholly in the Holy One, Jesus Christ's Love.
In the face of a pressing need for answers and solutions to life's problems - answers that are not quickly forthcoming - trust in the Wisdom and Power who is Jesus Christ - and know how to wait.
The next story has had profound impact on me and is one that I have been holding since 2007. I hope you enjoy this short story and then find your children and hug them.
Dennis Rainey tells a story of a missionary family on furlough, staying at the lake house of a friend. On the day in question, Dad was puttering in the boathouse, Mom in the kitchen, and the three children, ages four, seven, and twelve, were on the lawn, Four-year-old Billy escaped his oldest sister's watchful eye and wandered down to the wooden dock. The shiny aluminum boat caught his eye, but unsteady feet landed him in eight-foot-deep water.
When the twelve-year-old screamed, Dad came running out. Realizing what had happened, he dove into the murky depths. Frantically he felt for his son, but twice, out of breath, he had to return to the surface. Filling his lungs once more, he dove down and found Billy clinging to a wooden pier several feet under. Prying the boy's fingers loose, he bolted to the surface with Billy in his arms.
Safely ashore, his father asked, "Billy, what were you doing down there?" The little one replied, "Just waitin' on you, Dad, just waitin' on you."
Young as he was, the boy no doubt had a history with his father - a history of feeling safe, protected, accepted, and loved. He knew from experience that his father delighted in him. Naturally the boy had a healthy, positive self-image: he had come to know that he was loved, and he had felt knowledge of his father's faithfulness. Cooler head might judge the boy presumptuous and asset that he had showed reckless disregard for his safety. He should have taken control of his desperate situation, they would say. And surely there is a measure of truth here. However, when taking control becomes our routine response to troubled relationships and worrisome problems, God is not our co-pilot, he's not even aboard."
See you all on the trial!
Greg