Back to the Valley

I was mentioning to a young mother of 4 the other day, of how I would love to go back to when my own kids were young.  I long to relive those wonderful moments of sweet babies and toddlers snuggling in on your lap for stories and hugs the size of Mack Trucks.  Then I remembered the sibling fights, the throwing of food, the night time vomiting and the dirty diapers.  Maybe just an hour…or even just 15 minutes would be enough.

I think we can all think of moments in life, where we wish that we could either go back and relive, or have found ourselves in a moment that we wished would never end.  It is kind of like that last night of vacation before you have to head back to the workplace.  You relish the moment of tranquility and want to stay in that moment…you don’t want to leave and you certainly don’t want to go back to work.  Perhaps you have even cried out…”Calgon Take me Away!”  I tried that once only to be interrupted by my wife say, “Finish up in there! I need your help with the kids!”

Recently, we were visiting our daughter in Georgia, the weather was hot and sticky and overall quite unpleasant for this northern boy.  The morning came for our departure and I remember getting up and watching the sunrise and despite the weather…I found myself not wanting that final morning to end.  Hannah and I drank our coffee and ate our breakfast in cherished fondness and I knew that the goodbyes were to coming far too quickly.  The funny thing with time is that there is nothing you can do to change its speed.  You can’t slow it down and you can’t speed it up.  7:30 came and so did her departure.  I went from a moment that I didn’t want to end to a moment I didn’t want to experience.  

I am reminded of the mountain top moment that Jesus shares with Peter, James and John, (Matthew 17:1-27).  Jesus is transfigured before their eyes and even Moses and Elijah join the party.  Peter in all of his excitement reflects his desire to stay right where they are.  He doesn’t want to leave.  He even offers to put up some tents for Jesus and his two prophet friends and make the moment last…perhaps even permanent.  But…Jesus has no intention of keeping them on the mountain…instead; he takes them back to the valley.

As great as many of these moments are, I am learning that God does not call us to stay on the mountain. I have had many wonderful mountain top moments in my life. I have had countless moments of sweet contentment, including my wedding, the birth of my children, encounters with God, spiritual retreats and conferences.  Yet, in the midst of these moments, Jesus seems to always take me back to the valley.  I am learning that this isn’t some form of sadistic punishment…but rather, it is in the valleys where the real ministry happens.  It is in the valley where my life is truly transformed. It is in the valleys where I meet with other’s whose lives need to be touched by God.

May we come to see the Glory of God on the mountain…and then know that he will take us to the valleys.  Jesus doesn’t call us to stay with him on the mountain, rather he promises to stay with us in the valley. 

Catch Me!

I spent the day with my dad today, helping him run tubing for in floor heating on the foundation of a new out building.  By the time we were finished running the tubing, both he and I could hardly walk due to the age of our legs, knees and backs.  This has not always been the case.  In fact, as a child I remember standing on the end of a dock while my dad urged me to jump into the water.  The water was over my head, but it was not over his.  Yet, he beckoned me to trust him and take the leap of faith.  I continued to hesitate.  I even hesitated after I watched my older brother jump from the dock and into my dad’s arms.  Sure enough, my dad caught my brother just as dad had promised.  Yet I waited. 

Finally, after what must have seemed an eternity, I mustered my courage and jumped.  To my surprise I did not plummet below the surface.  To my surprise I found myself safely in the grasp of a 25 year old father whose knees, legs and back did not yet hurt. I doubt that he would invite me to jump into his arms like that today.

I must admit, the jump was wonderful! It was thrilling.  In fact, it was so thrilling that I continued to make trips out of the water…onto the dock…into the air…and back into the waiting arms of dad who was standing in water up to his chest.  Each time I approached, he called, “Jump,” and each time he caught me. 

However…there is always a however in life…however…after a while of idle beach time, I ran to the dock…I came to the edge…and I jumped and said…”Catch me daddy!”  The problem was, that dad was not there calling to me, “Jump.”  Once I was airborne I realized my error.  I hit the water…then I went under the water…and then my feet were standing underwater on the wet lake bottom sand.

Fortunately for me, dad was near enough to grab be and pull me back to the surface…unfortunately…I didn’t have gills.  I came up coughing and hacking with water shooting from my nose. 

Faith is an interesting thing.  So often we struggle to have faith in the one who is calling to us…Jesus.  Then, at times when we see that he is indeed trustworthy…we jump…and he proves himself faithful.  Yet, there are other times, when we do not take the time to listen for his leading…and instead of waiting on him, we attempt to control his actions by acting on our own. 

We see something like this in Matthew 17:14-20.  Here Jesus is met with a man whose son is demon possessed and is in desperate need of healing.  The disciples have “tried” to cast the demon out but they have been unsuccessful.  I think what we find here is people who have tried to do spiritual actions on their own apart from a dependence on the real Master.  Perhaps they have sought to act on their “own” authority as opposed to the REAL authority…Jesus.

May we come to see that Jesus IS trustworthy and growing in our faith must be rooted in listening to him and submitting to His authority.

 Bigger

 

A few weeks ago I noted the seemingly large hullabaloo about the 50^th 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.