Life has its Bugs

     Shortly after we had moved from East LA to a small town just north of Bakersfield our family started a new tradition. Typically, shopping with my mother was like watching grass grow or paint dry. I tried anything and everything to get out of going. Our new tradition started quite by accident and was in response to one of my many attempts to convince my mother that I was much too sick to make the journey. She simply said, “You can pick any cereal from the cereal aisle.” Of course I went. Any cereal!  (Come on, you would have gone, too.)  From that time on each shopping trip to the grocery store included that promise.

     Usually I’d pick cereal based on the prize included. Sometimes it was a matchbox car, sometimes a 45 record. (Those of you that don’t know what that is; it’s like a CD – same size, one song on each side. I know I’m old.) Once, the prize was a magnifying glass. I didn’t have that prize very long because I accidently set the neighbor’s lawn on fire. That incident inspired two new rules. No magnifying glasses allowed. All prizes must be inspected by mom first. Well, howdy. I still liked the cereal aisle and wasn’t opposed to trying new cereals. It was an adventure of sorts. That is how I came to try, of all things, Life cereal.

     For some reason, trying out a new cereal inspired me to awaken long before anyone else. I went into the kitchen, dragged a chair over to the cereal cabinet, (I was a short kid, remember?) climbed up and retrieved the unopened box of Life cereal. I put the chair back, set the box of cereal on the table and went in search of the perfect cereal bowl – which, as I’m sure cereal lovers everywhere will agree, is a mixing bowl. After getting the milk carton, I was ready. I opened the box. The inside cereal bag opened easier than usual but I paid no attention. I began pouring the cereal and immediately screamed, dropped the box and jumped away from the table. A bug, the size of a tank rolled out with the cereal. It looked big enough to eat little boys for breakfast, no milk necessary. It was alive and I was certain it wasn’t a prize. Not even in a box of Crackerjacks would you find a prize like that.

     In that moment, I learned a very valuable lesson and have never forgotten it. Are you ready for the moral of the story?

     Life has its bugs! Not everything is going to go exactly as we plan. Sometimes, despite how carefully we prepare or have been prepared for life, the unexpected happens. Not everything is going to run smoothly. Life isn’t that way. It’s not always predictable. One day it’s sunny and clear, the next it’s stormy. One thing is for certain, though. Life is an adventure.

     Jesus wanted to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Should be an easy task for the disciples to accomplish; clear skies, some of them knew the Sea of Galilee better than their own front yards, and they were seasoned and accomplished sailors. Now sudden storms were not uncommon on Galilee. Due to its geographical location, however, these storms don’t just blow in – they blow down on the sea. Undoubtedly the disciples had experienced this weather pattern before and must have felt confident about crossing the lake. When Jesus asked, they set out immediately.   I can almost hear them saying, “You just relax we’re pros at this.”

     Some of the most enjoyable sailing experiences I’ve had were during storms, either in small sailing craft or while windsurfing – the rougher, the greater the challenge, the more fun. I didn’t learn this until running a summer camp for youth. Like any summer camp we had a storm contingency plan. And, when a stormy day presented itself we changed gears and went with indoor activities to wait it out. I soon learned that stormy days were an opportunity for me to slip away and go sailing. There is nothing more exhilarating then cutting close to the wind, battling the elements and slamming from one wave to the next. On a sailboard the more air you get off a wave the greater the thrill. In, say a Mini-fish sailboat (the Sunfish sailboat’s younger brother), when you cut close to the wind, pulling the sail as close to you as possible, you can actually run the boat up on its side at terrific speeds. You don’t have much control, though. The rudder tends to come up out of the water when you cut that close to the wind. But, hey, that’s the fun part. The disciples were not having fun with the storm they encountered, at all. They weren’t thrilled by the challenge. Instead, they were scared right down to their sandals and back up again.

     Mark tells us that during the crossing a furious storm blew down on Galilee. Despite their experience and their efforts, the boat filled with water and the disciples were terrified for their very lives. Suddenly, in the middle of all this they realized that Jesus, the Son of God, was sound asleep. We’re going to drown and He doesn’t even care. So, they woke Him and accused Him of not caring.

     “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to the disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’” (Mark 4:39-40, NIV).

     Next time you go to the county fair or an amusement park, ride the roller coaster. Compare the ride to life. There are slow ascents, pauses that can be described as mountaintop experiences, speedy descents, long straight stretches that are boring, sharp unexpected curves, you are thrown this way and that, and there is nothing you can do about it until the ride is over. All you can do is hold on and enjoy the ride. Jesus was doing just that. He was enjoying the ride and trusting His Father. His life is an amazing example of letting go and trusting God. No matter what He saw around Him or before Him, He knew God was in control. The Father had a plan.

     Yes, life has its bugs and unexpected storms. It has ups and downs. It has deep valleys and mountaintops. The valleys teach us invaluable lessons and the mountaintops refresh us. The one thing the Father wants for His children is faith in Him throughout all of it. Enjoy the ride. He has a plan. Perhaps that’s why He inspired the Psalmist to pen these words in Ps. 46:10. “Be still and know that I am God…”

     I love that phrase, “Be still.” In Hebrew the full picture is this; cease all movement to receive healing. In other words, relax and enjoy the ride, the Father is in control, He has a plan and He knows the outcome. And, the added benefit? He even provides a healthcare plan that is out of this world. Being still, trusting in Him each day, allows me to receive healing for my heart, mind and soul.

~ Pastor Al