Monday, February 19, 2018
When the
Red Sea saw you, O God, its waters looked and trembled! The sea quaked to its very depths. The clouds poured down rain; the thunder
rumbled in the sky. Your arrows of
lightning flashed. Your thunder roared
from the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world! The earth trembled and shook. Your road led through the sea, your pathway
through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there! You led your people along that road like a
flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds. Psalm 77:16-20(NLT)
We’ve been looking
at the Lent pathway via some thoughts my friend shared with me
about his family’s recent hiking excursion at Hanging Rock. You’ve got to trust the path to take you to
the high places, and you need a steadying stick to help navigate the soft,
shifty places.
Today Lent is five
days-in; five of forty. Mathematically
that’s only 12½% of the journey, but let’s go to the top of the rock
this morning. My friend, Richard, shared
an insight he gleaned from being at the top that is particularly helpful in
pastoral ministry.
I was afraid he
was going there. I love mountains and
the grand, panoramic displays of God’s handiwork…from a safe distance. Although vertigo is not my idea of a good
high, Richard’s explanation made sense; not fun, but sense
Incidentally,
speaking of sense, of the common variety, a disclaimer here: I do NOT recommend you go near the
edge of Hanging Rock without someone to hold you back after you’ve
visited the psychiatrist following your decision to look a mile or two straight
down! Some people’s courage is other
people’s craziness!
That being said, Richard was right…the view from hanging over
Hanging Rock is the most breathtaking possibility. Instead of looking straight-out and seeing nothing
but tree tops, you get to look down and see the contours of the land, and all
the interesting little details a horizontal view misses. You get scope and clarity when you’re hanging
that close to the edge. Of course, my
friend is a pilot/preacher and he’s used to that kind of thing
I got that
perspective on a trip to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe ten years ago. Way against my better judgment I leaned out,
over the edge to get this picture. My
perspective took my breath away; I was certain I was next to heaven, if not on
my way TO heaven if my foot slipped.
So what does all
this have to do with Lent? I’m glad you
asked. In pastoral ministry it is
important to see the pathway most people would miss. If you are to be of help to your brother or
sister in Christ you must spend time looking and listening from the point that
takes courage. You have to be close and
vulnerable, like hanging over a cliff, if you’re going to see the path someone
else is travelling. It’s like dancing,
you can’t look at your own feet; if you do, it’s only a mechanical movement, it’s
not dancing. You’ve got to look in your
partner’s eyes and feel the music. You’ve
got to trust.
And isn’t that the
whole idea of this Lenten season? You
have got to prepare your heart to lean fully out over the edge – to trust the One
holding your backpack. And as you learn
to fully place all your weight on He who died for you, you become an incredible
value of Christ’s presence to everyone you meet.
For You Today
What will it be…breath-taking leaps
in following the Savior…or a safe distance?
You chew on
that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.
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