So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” [Matthew 28:19 (NCV)]
Dorian has departed and we Floridians are taking down hurricane shutters and removing plywood from our windows. Some people avoided that task by having high-impact windows and doors that combine specially glazed impact-resistant glass with heavy duty frames that keep the glass from breaking away from its frame; while the glass may crack from a direct hit, it will not break. In theory, when a home or business has such glass installed, no additional shutters, screens, or plywood are necessary to protect it from the ravages of a hurricane.
A friend recently sent me a meme with the words, “Do you believe in your own product?” It showed a business near West Palm Beach; the sign above the door said it sold “Impact Windows & Doors!” Since all of its windows were covered with plywood, the picture wasn’t a good testimony to the business owner’s confidence in his own product. Any potential customer seeing the plywood covering the glass might question the truth of his claims about its ability to weather a storm.
I suspect I know why there was plywood over those windows. I know of people whose supposedly impact-resistant window frames were bowed by Hurricane Irma’s forceful winds. While their windows remained intact (as promised), the rain blew in through gaps in the twisted frames. It could be that, while he touts the benefits of his product, the business owner knows that it’s not 100% trustworthy. When facing the likes of Dorian, complete faith in his windows failed.
Having been instructed to make disciples, we share the gospel message in the hope that people will want to have Jesus in their lives. In effect, our Christian witness is a little like selling a product. The meme and the question it posed made me wonder if our lives truly support our faith in the effectiveness of our product. Do we act as if we believe in Him and His promises? We say we trust God completely and yet, just in case He doesn’t come through, we tend to worry, fret, and fuss which isn’t much different than putting up plywood over the glass we claim to be impact resistant. Either we believe, trust, and place our lives in God’s hands or we don’t! If we truly trust Him, we must depend on Him in more than just the sunshine, summer showers and gentle winds we encounter. We must have faith in the thunderstorms, blizzards, tsunamis, tornadoes and hurricanes of life, as well!
It’s been said that people can tell the size of our God by the length of our worry list: the shorter the list, the greater our God. When life’s storms are brewing, do we worry or pray? Do we put our faith in God or ourselves? Unlike the not-so-confident business owner, we can be confident in our God; He is 100% effective and trustworthy. But, when we worry, we’re a poor witness for our product. It’s not enough to speak of our impact-resistant God; we must live as if we truly believe that He can still any storm.
The great act of faith is when man decides that he is not God. [Oliver Wendell Holmes]
The story is told of a circuit-riding preacher who never failed to thank God for the day’s weather. One Sunday, after battling through wind and sleet to his preaching appointment in a distant town, the congregation wondered how he could be thankful in such dreadful weather. When it came time for prayer, however, he said, “This is a wretched day, dear Lord, no doubt about it. But, we thank Thee, Lord, that every day isn’t as bad as this one!”
Not so long ago, it was hard to face my computer with any enthusiasm. Every beginning led to a dead end or took me down a rabbit hole of confusion. The paragraphs over which I’d struggled had come to nothing and my hours at the keyboard seemed an exercise in futility. It’s as if I had little scraps of useless fabric but couldn’t find a way to quilt them together. I wondered where God was when I so desperately needed His guidance.
Her neighbors probably thought she’d lost her mind when she sent her boys out to ask for empty containers. Shutting the door certainly kept out the creditors, naysayers, and doubters along with any talk of unbelief that could hinder the widow’s faith. That closed door shut out interruptions, distractions, anxieties, and whatever else that might have kept the widow from focusing on God. Because that shut door even kept out Elisha, there was no mistaking who was responsible for the flowing oil: God!
Then Peter said, “We’ve left everything to follow you.” Jesus said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Anyone who gave up his home, wife, brothers, parents, or children because of the kingdom of God will certainly receive many times as much in this life and will receive eternal life in the world to come.” [Luke 18:28-29 (GW)]
We’re selling our northern home and, as I packed up assorted family heirlooms, I came across the little sterling silver salt and pepper shakers we used for so many years. I held one in my hand a bit longer than the others; it had distinct teeth marks on it. For reasons that are unknown, my eldest child tried to bite through it. In spite of its obvious imperfection (or, perhaps because of it), the shaker is still beautiful. I’d wondered which child should get these silver pieces but, after remembering their history, I lovingly wrapped them up and placed them in my son’s box. I only hope his family will find the impressions of his baby teeth as beautiful as do I.
Devotions of the Heart 