Bigger
A few weeks ago I noted the seemingly large hullabaloo about the 50th anniversary of the release of the 1975 hit movie, JAWS. It has long been known as a BIG hit movie. I remember my first time watching the classic film. It would have been around 1985 and I would have been 9 years old. My parents treated our family to an at home movie night with popcorn and a VHS rental. We all gathered in our small living room, that was filled with one recliner, one sofa and a hospital bed that carried my mother who was recovering from a recent back fusion surgery.
After my little sister was put to bed, because a 4 year old should not be allowed to witness the gruesome fake blood filled scenes cause by the giant mechanical shark. However, my little brother of 6, was deemed old enough for the suspense thriller. He sat in a folding chair next to my mother’s bed while my sad sat behind him in the recliner and my older brother and I shared the sofa.
I acutely recall the intense imagery of the giant shark tearing apart the boats, catamarans and unawares inhabitants of the salty seas. One of the more tense moments of the movie, came when divers went to explore the waters within the safety of a “shark cage.” As you watched the divers slide into the dark waters and the classic “da dum,” theme music of Jaw build, you could feel your internal organs escalate in tension along with the deep throaty notes.
I vividly remember that just before the giant shark was about to attack the caged men, my dad grabbed my six year old brother from behind and bellowed, “YAH!” I am no expert, but I feel quite certain that my little brother nearly died of fright that day. His eyes protruded an inch and a half out of his skull, I am certain his heart literally stopped as did his breathing. I watched for what seemed to be 3 minutes while he tried to find the ability to breath. Looking back it seems a bit sadistic…but also super funny.
I must admit that from that day on, I have never viewed swimming in the same light. I have never been attacked by a shark. I did however, have a small bass bite off a scab off from my knee when I was in Jr. High. I remember several times while fishing, when in the process of reeling in a bass, a northern pike attacks the bass and I have actually caught two fish at the same time.
It kind of reminds me that there are always bigger fish in the lake…or the sea if you are a mechanical great white. There are bigger bass, bigger pike and bigger sharks. Yet, what continues to blow my mind is how big God really is. In Matthew 17:1-13, three of Jesus’ disciples get a mere glimpse of how big Jesus really is has he is transfigured before them. The intense glory of God is revealed for just a moment. There is NOTHING bigger. I know that and I believe it. Yet, what I am learning is that God is bigger than I thought. As I continue to grow in my journey and in Him, I come to see how much bigger he really is. I am learning, that when I struggle with the “why” questions of God, perhaps it is because my view of the bigness of God is still too small.
May we come to grow in our understanding of how big God really is…and then…may we realize that he is actually bigger yet.
