Would You Have Laughed at Jesus?

Mark 5:35-43

Through your tears you see only the deceased. You cry with and for the family, wondering how it could be that a life of promise is cut off at the age of twelve. The pain of the loss is such that you do not notice when Jesus arrives. You do however hear his voice as he declares that, "The damsel is not dead but asleep." Most in the room laugh, asking how he could be so insensitive. Eventually Jesus runs off all who do not believe. Would you have been one of those who laughed or would you by faith be able to remain in the room to witness a miracle as it happens?

Proverbs 3:5

As I walk the path of the Christian faith I find quite often I see things different from how God sees them. Where I see a dead end with no possible outlet, God sees opportunity. At times His directions seem way off target, even laughable. Of course He probably gets a good laugh out of my thoughts and ideas as well. One of us is always correct. Will my faith lead me to follow him when my own understanding says otherwise?

Real Christian faith is demonstrated when we follow God even when our "wisdom" says to do otherwise. It is easy to have faith in the areas where we agree with God. What does your faith look like in the areas where you see things different from how God sees them?

In Two Places

I have a question for other parents: how do you manage to be in two places at once? You see my family has reached a stage where I need to learn how to pull off the impossible. Until now I had managed to avoid the need. But with two boys, both of whom are now active in sports, we have reached a point where their seasons will overlap.

Soon I will have to choose one over the other. I will be forced to miss one game while attending another. One of my children will have to live with not seeing me in the stands because I chose to go watch his sibling. Which one will it be? Who will be left saying, "Daddy you missed it," after making the play of their life? If only I could be in two places. Then I could avoid yet another difficult parenting decision.

Perhaps the most difficult part of all of this is the fact that if I have done my job well, this will bother me more than it will bother my children. Yes one will be disappointed, but if I have built a proper foundation both of my children will handle this well now and in the future. If I have in the past shown them my love, they will both take a part of me with them to their games. And so it is possible to be in two places at one time. To do so I need only make sure that more often than not I am there for my sons at the right times.