We've all seen the ads
"Learn a instrument in 30 days"
"Teach yourself a new language in a month"
"Lose 20 pounds in a week and keep it off"
And so on and so on.
Most of us are looking for shortcuts, the easy way to accomplish something. Yet the irony is, whatever we have accomplished we know it didn't come easy. We are full of ironies. When someone tells me they bought a book to learn guitar in 30 days, I know it can't be done, and yet, I will look for a shortcut to accomplish something I haven't accomplished yet.
The above scripture comes from a time when Jesus withdrew from the crowd had sent the disciples away and told them that He would meet them later. But as how life goes it begins to get dark and Jesus hasn't shown up yet . Not only that, the Bible says:
The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. John 6:18
I think this is something we can all relate to. The situation is getting rough we are counting on Jesus to show up to help, but even though things are getting worse He hasn't showed up yet. Our lives at times can read like the above scripture:
It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. John 6:17
There aren't shortcuts to the meaningful things in life. There aren't any "overnight" success stories. It's especially true in our spiritual walk. Sadly, there are many books in the "Christian" market that promise shortcuts. They may help, but they don't get us to the deeper places in life.
The truth is life is hard. There is death, loss, heartbreak, unfairness, and the list goes on and on. They are all a part of the human experience. We can't escape them. Oh we try to, but in the end our plans don't work out.
Some have asked me," but if you are following God with your life isn't He supposed to keep that stuff away from you?"
I simply reply, "No. I wish that were the case but when I read the Bible I see that it is not."
The people in the Bible went through the same junk we go through. I feel this is important to share with people, because many believe that if they are experiencing problems there must be something wrong with how they are living, or how strong their faith is. Granted, sometimes we do experience problems because of our lack of trust or how we are living, but it is not the reason all the time. Many times having problems shows we are on the right path.
In this incident with Jesus and the disciples, Jesus does show up. But He shows up in a way the disciples weren't expecting. In fact, the disciples almost missed Him. Again, isn't that so true of our lives ? We can miss Jesus even when He does show up. Why? Because He shows up in a way we weren't expecting.
How did Jesus show up for the disciples? Walking on the water!!!
They definitely weren't expecting that.
The disciples were expecting Jesus to show up in the daylight before the storm. Instead, it got dark and there was a storm and no Jesus. And though the disciples didn't know it, it was all part of the plan.
If things had gone the way the disciples wanted they would have missed out on the chance to see Jesus walking on the water. But by going through without the shortcut they learned Jesus was faithful. They learned Jesus had power and glory that they never realized. Because of that there was given to them an opportunity for their faith in Him to grow.
Looking for growth without the experience is tempting but in the long run its not the same as getting the experience. As humans we are tempted to escape all hardships. Though I don't like hardships I do realize that some are necessary.
Shortcuts can be helpful at times, but if we find we have to go through without the shortcut may we trust God knows what He is doing even though we may not understand. He has a plan.
Just because God hasn't shown up yet, it doesn't mean He won't . Let's also remember He may show up in a way we aren't expecting.
Troy