It Was One Of Those Mornings…

I sort of meandered to work this morning…

I’m sure you have had those days where you really aren’t in a hurry.  You have plenty of time and you just take it slow.   You look at things around you.  You drive slower.  You drive with a little more patience.  You really listen to the words on the radio.  You kind of become like one of those lazy rivers in no real hurry to get from point A to point B. Well, this morning was one of those mornings.

It started by driving slowly around my neighborhood. Instead of going straight I turned right…and then left…and then left again…and then another right…I think you get the point.  I was looking at houses, at colors, at the scenery.  All too often we seem to zoom past things and not even notice what is around us.  We don’t take it in. Well, it was one of those mornings.

There is this intersection on the way to the church.  Just before you enter the freeway.  Three lanes merge into two as you enter and two lanes expand to four as you come off.  It’s a big intersection and a very busy one, full of people having to get somewhere.  Hurrying.

There are even pedestrians.  I fear for those pedestrians.  It is a wide intersection, a very wide intersection to try and cross.  Six lanes to be exact, well eight if you count turn lanes.  It seems people barely have enough time, those cars are in too much of a hurry.  I myself am usually guilty of this.  But today, well, it was one of those mornings.

I actually wish I could have sat at that light this morning.  I wanted to watch.  I wanted to take in the sites.

You see, there was this Canadian Goose at the edge of the cross walk…slowly…pensively…purposefully starting to put one step in front of the other as he entered traffic.  Black, webbed feet were being picked up and laid down.  He was slowly, and by slowly, I mean slowly crossing against traffic.   I found myself rooting for him, hoping for him, and praying for him.

The rest of the way here I thought about that goose.  Did he make it?  Did he survive?  Did he get where he wanted to go?  Probably, but I guess I will never know.

It made me think.  How many times have I not arrived someplace because I was too afraid, to afraid to take that first step and then another and then another.  The answer?  A lot…

In Mark Chapter 10 of the Bible.  We are told the story about a rich man who wanted to know how to get to someplace.  He wanted Heaven.  He wanted eternal life.  And so he came to Jesus for the answer.  The funny part is, he already knew the answer.  I think deep down he knew it before he asked the question.  He knew there was something else He should be doing.  He knew he needed to take one more step.  He knew where he had to go.  He was just afraid to do it.  He didn’t want to cross that road.

The story is sad.  The man turned away from Jesus and we are led to believe he never crossed that road.  He was too afraid.

The good news is that he didn’t have to be.  Later in that chapter, verse 27 to be specific.  Jesus tells us that humanly speaking it is impossible for man to get to Heaven, to inherit eternal life, but not with God.  With God, everything is possible!  This man just needed to let God help him cross the road.  This man just needed to let go and let God.

Did that goose ever cross the road safely?  I bet he did.  Was he afraid? Absolutely! You could tell by how slowly he was crossing.  But he was crossing.  He was consistent.  He was deliberate.  He was purposefully.  He knew what he had to do and he was doing it.

It made me want to write, to think, and to ask, you the reader, and myself some questions.  What is God asking me to do?  What is God asking you to do?  What “road” is He asking you to cross?  What “road” is He asking me to cross?  These roads…they are impossible to cross on our own.  We might try but we will surely fail.  In fact, I bet more often than not we don’t even try.  With God, however, nothing is impossible!  Everything is possible!  Everything!  Period.  The end.

It was one of those mornings…

Until next time,

Pastor Barry