Walking on Water, Levitating Rocks, and Curve Balls

February 13, 2008
It seems like a month has passed (even though it has only been two days) since I wrote my previous perspective, the one in which I brought up the subject of anomalies. I ended it with these words: Today is another day and life will go on and The Creator is still The Creator, even though He sometimes throws us a curve ball by placing an anomaly in our paths, if for no other reason than to see how we will react to the abnormal (or is it the normal?)! Go figure!
Thankfully, I continue to believe that The Creator is still the Creator, even though He does throw us curveballs on occasion. Actually, when I ended that perspective, I really thought that life was about to calm down for me and things would quickly get back to “normal” (whatever that is!). Trust me, that thought was short-lived; I didn’t even have time to adjust. I went from an incredible (albeit, momentary), sense of relief to an almost overwhelming sense of “What? Another curve ball? So soon?”. As if that were not enough, in just a short while, I was asking the same question again! And then again! All in the same day!
Now please understand that I am neither asking for sympathy or for clarity; instead, I am simply trying to communicate to you that there are times in our lives, as believers, when trusting that God has your best interest at heart is about as easy as walking on water or levitating a rock or hitting a curve ball, for that matter! Just for the record: I cannot walk on water; I cannot levitate a rock; and at my age, I won’t even stand in the batter’s box to attempt to hit a curve ball. Now, if you still have questions, as to the ease with which I have been practicing Christianity over the past several months, and especially the past 48 hours, I cannot help you.
For most of my life, I have been able to handle adversity and handle it well; however, when it involves people I love and care about (which is most of the time) and it is coming at me like machine gun fire (as it has been doing of late), especially over an extended period of time, well, just let me say that I am not as good at it, as I once was.
Just for the record: practicing Christianity, at least for me, means that I wake up every day to die, in order that others can live; that I make it my ambition to treat others as being more important than myself; that I do not merely look out for my own interests, but also for the interests of others; that I spend my life serving others, rather than expecting to be served; that I trust Him to do exceeding, abundantly above all I could ever ask or think; that I never allow myself to be distracted from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus; and, finally, that I do all of these, as I rest in His finished work.
As I think about what I just wrote, it is obvious to me that the most difficult part of my practicing Christianity lies in my purposing not to be distracted from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Him; it seems that, over the past several months, distractions have been as plenteous as sand gnats, late in the afternoon on a south Florida beach. Most of the time, you cannot see the blasted creatures coming but, trust me, when they arrive, they do distract! What was intended as a pleasant afternoon of fishing one of the mangrove areas for snook, turns into a miserable, wretched fight against stinging, pesky, innumerable creatures, much like the demons of hell—a distraction for sure!
In the end, I do know in whom I have believed and I am persuaded (absolutely convinced) that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that Day! Although, it doesn’t always feel like it, I do know that He is good, always good, and I also know that He will only allow for that which He deems best to come into my life, even though it might appear, as anything but the best.
Yes, I do know that things could be much worse, and I do know that most people have it much worse than I; however, I must admit that I could use a break (at least that is my opinion) from some of the “stuff” of life that has tried so very desperately to distract me from the very thing I love most—the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus.