Code of Faith

The sun is at its highest and borders on unbearable.  I can feel the heat of the sun seeping through my clothing.  My lips are dry and all I taste is dust.  That same dust hangs in the air from the crowd moving in front of me.

I don’t know why I’ve been following this man around.  He came through Jericho a few weeks ago and was teaching and healing people.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  The leaders in the synagogue don’t teach like this.  They just give us rules and condemnation.  This man, they call him Jesus, even speaks against the Pharisees.  He claims to be the son of Man and I believe it.

Some of his teachings are encouraging.  He teaches that I should not be anxious.  God takes care of the birds and the flowers and He loves me so much more, so He will take care of my needs.  On the other side he teaches about repentance and perishing if I don’t.

Today was some of the hardest teachings I’ve ever heard.  He told us that if we don’t hate our family, our parents, and even our own lives, then we can’t be his disciples.  He said I have to bear my cross daily.  I have to renounce all
that I have to be his disciple.
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So I did something tonight that I haven’t done in years.  I went skating.  It was fun.  It was like a game of Frogger trying to weave between kids and not run over them when they cut in front of you.  We celebrated a friends birthday and we just acted like kids even though most of us are probably 15 years or older than the kids there.  But after about 2 hours I could feel my age kicking in and I started going slower and slower.  Plus my back started tightening up on me.  I’m going to be so sore in the morning.  However, once we left the rink at about 11pm I was just getting started.  I guess it was all the endorphins but I’m really not that tired right now.  So I ended up taking a long drive to just be out and enjoy the nice weather we’ve been having.

Early on in the evening one my friends (she will remain nameless to protect her identity) sat down because she was scared she was going to hurt herself.  I went over and checked on her and she was telling me her fears.  I chuckled, not at her but at myself.  I told her that I was trying to think of something sympathetic to say to her but I couldn’t.  I wanted to tell her to just suck it up and get out there and do it.  And I told her as much but in a kinder tone.  Eventually through coaxing from others she got out there and enjoyed herself.  A thought hit me after I talked with her.  How many times in my life am I worried about something and all the things that could go wrong?  I worry about failing.  I need to suck it up and just do it.  One kid helped drive this point home for both of us.  My friend was expressing her concerns about hurting herself when this kid busted it right in front of us.  My friend wanted to use that as an example of why not to try.  However, just as quickly as this kid fell down, he picked himself up, put a smile on his face and went right back to skating.

I know this seems like an overly simplistic example but hey our Lord did most of his teaching using parables.  Why is it that we will go and throw caution to the wind with some momentary event or activity yet we stammer or hold on so tight that our knuckles turn white when the Lord calls us to do something?  We have the creator of the Universe, the God that raises the dead in our corner prodding us and giving us His strength to accomplish his purposes.  So the question posed to each of us, “Will we throw off the shackles that so easily entangle us or will we sit quietly tied down watching life pass us by.”