Friday,
March 12, 2021
He is
so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of
his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his
kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us his mysterious
will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And
this is the plan: At the right time he
will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in
heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united
with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in
advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. Ephesians 1:7-11
My Dad
had something of a wanderlust; his itchy feet always wanted to travel and see
other places. His curiosity about life
just soaked up details about history, technology, and what makes the universe
tick. Underneath that was a layer of thinking
reserved for commitment to caring for his family. And overshadowing all of it was an impish
sense of humor.
It took
me well into my own advancing 7+ decades of life to do this autopsy of what made
Dad tick. On the surface, he seemed
quite the uncomplicated average guy. But
despite his comedic, life-of-the-party side, and plans for the next road trip,
underneath Elwood (Slim) Brownworth had a fierce love that kept everything
pointed in the right direction for those he loved. And you could tell he was thinking about you.
Once,
on a hot summer afternoon, when I was about 10, our family of four was taking a
little Sunday car trip of the back roads in our county. (It was what our budget allowed for
entertainment in those days.)
At one
point Dad called out to the back seat: Boys,
close your eyes. Son, Thomas the
elder, cooperated; he probably knew what was coming. Son, Russell…well, he required
convincing. Russell: Why?
Dad: Just do it; you’ll see.
Russell: Why?
In the
middle of about four more “whys” it became apparent I’d reached
the end of Daddy Elwood’s last patient nerve.
The car had reached that spot where the road dipped like a roller
coaster. In my memory I can still feel
my stomach flipping as the car got a little air-time…and the jolt when it rejoined
its place on the road. If I’d known
anything about space shuttle travel in 1957, I’d have written to NASA for an astronaut
application the next day. To this day I
am certain my Dad had stepped on the gas a little extra on my third “why”.
The why
of Dad’s care had to do with wanting to provide just a momentary fun part of
the lazy drive. We couldn’t afford a
trip to an amusement park for a fancy roller coaster, but his ’49 Ford was
available, and his sons were in the back seat.
Dad’s final words on the topic still ring in my ear; the next time
I tell you to close your eyes, just relax and enjoy the ride.
I’m
thinking that applies now, based on St. Paul’s words about our Heavenly Father’s
richness of grace and kindness. In the
same way as my Dad knowing we were coming up on that fun bump,
God knows where we are on this journey. And,
if I can put some words in our Father’s mouth, I think he might be saying
something about how we really can’t see much from the back seat of His car, but
He can. The road may sometimes be boring
from the back seat, and, when we can’t see the fun parts, we’re liable to
question more than cooperate.
The
current pandemic mess is even more undesirable than the back seat. It’s like we’ve been moved to the car’s trunk
and the darkness is overwhelming. At
least we think it’s overwhelming! Paul said God has a firm grip on the steering
wheel of this road trip, and He knows the turns, fun-bumps, and the
destination. And He is the one who held
the door for us to get in the vehicle.
He chose us!
And…I
distinctly remember Him whispering in my ear how the keys to that car are going
to be mine, and yours, and all His forever family’s --- when the time is right.
For You Today
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky
Road; have a blessed day!
[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
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