"Hooked.........................."

Saturday morning, while waiting on Beth at her hairdresser’s, I glanced through an old issue of Reader’s Digest and came upon a list of “lessons” that people claim to have “learned from their kids”. One in particular – “To take time to play with rocks along the way” – really bore witness with me. What does it mean? From my perspective, it speaks of one not needing a room full of expensive toys to have fun, of not requiring a trip to Disneyland to discover a magic kingdom. Whether or not such wisdom was gained from raising my three daughters, however, is probably debatable. At one point in our life, we all were young, the world a mysterious excitement meant to be explored. Somewhere along the way, most of us just seem to lose the “freshness” of every new day, commitment, responsibilities, and the reality of “the dark side” draining us of all our exuberance, leading us to settle, instead, for vacations, “hobbies”, whatever piece of the pie we think might feed our hunger at the time…. Sunday morning’s sermon hit me right in the depths of all I believe, the pastor taking us to that small boat about to sink in the storm-tossed waters of the Sea of Galilee. Christ’s rebuke of “O ye of little faith”, he said, did not refer to the disciples not possessing knowledge of the Master’s ability to handle the situation, but of their waiting until the last minute before seeking His presence in the matter! Experienced sailors sat there among them, men fully aware of what the ominous clouds, increasing wind, and choppy waves foretold; but all, rather than seeking His advice, chose to trust their own skills, face their own fears. Does not He promise to go with us, from the moment of our conversion, to abide in the very center of our existence, to rise and meet us out of our “belly”? Do not we know His assurance as a tangible connection therein with His peace, His grace, His hand in the journey? Such anchor-line allows time to “play with the rocks along the way”, to “smell the roses” as we walk with Him through the garden……