A day of getting a few things done, Father. Thank You for friends that could help out in a pinch. They may have thought it was no big deal but they sure were a blessing to us! I would ask for Your blessing upon them. Amen.
Luke 9:10-11 (<<click to read the passage)
One of the things that needed to get done today was trying to get our lawn tractor back to working order again. I had to make a run to pick up a replacement drive belt and dropped a few things off at my in-laws (all with social distancing in place).
When I got back home, I took care of a couple of other things and though I had intended to try my limited mechanical skills in putting the belt on the mower, I got sidetracked. As I sat down to get busy at the laptop, getting ready for next week’s service, Karen walked by and asked about the mower.
The first thing that went through my mind was that I was busy doing something important…and she interrupted me! But thankfully, my brain moved more quickly than usual, and I quickly processed that, yes, that was what needed to be done first and it was what I had intended on doing first. It was a really nice day today and the rest of the week we are supposed to get a fair amount of rain, so without much to-do, I shifted gears and headed out to the mower.
I could’ve gotten all defensive. I could have lashed out. But the good Lord helped me to respond in a manner worthy of the question Karen asked me. There was no reason to treat her badly. It was an innocent question. There was no malice and it was not asked derisively.
The feeding of the 5,000 is on the downhill side of Jesus’ ministry here on earth. It wasn’t at the end, but we are heading in that direction. He was at it constantly – healing those in need, teaching the crowds, teaching his disciples. He couldn’t catch a break it seems. He was fully God, but He was also fully man and our bodies require rest. Our minds need to slow down – and shut down on occasion, too.
When the Bible says, “He took [His disciples] with Him and He privately withdrew [across the Jordan] to a city called Bethsaida” it wasn’t just for kicks and giggles. It was intentional, they needed a break.
That was His intent but…that is not what happened. He was interrupted! He was doing important stuff! …but humanity was why He had come to be amongst us. We are important to Him, too.
So, he stopped…everything he was doing…and “instead of showing impatience…Jesus welcomed the people and ministered to their needs.” *
As I have matured in my faith (and I still have a long way to go!) this is one area on which I have conscientiously worked. People – the people with whom I work, the people I love, the people that are part of my congregations – are more important to me than anything of “importance” on my agenda.
There are no coincidences. Nothing occurs by happenstance. God directs all of our lives. Now we can choose to cooperate or not, but I wholeheartedly believe that God’s hand is at work in our lives every day!
That person that just so happens to cross our path? They are there for a reason. And may we not slough it off as an inconvenience. May we be God’s ambassadors of hope to the world!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Apr 6th, 2020, Mon, 7:21 pm
