Where Do You Draw the Line on Obedience?

Would you do anything for God? What if He asks you to do something embarrassing? In Isaiah 20, God wanted to send a sign to the Egyptians and the Ethiopians letting them know that they would soon be led off into captivity. To get everyone’s attention, God asked Isaiah to do something embarrassing. Now, God could have asked Isaiah to speak a prophetic word or even to perform a few miracles. That’s the kind of stuff we normally see in the Old Testament. He could have asked Isaiah to lead a praise service or to start a new program, the kinds of things we would expect in today’s church. God did not ask for any of the typical things associated with religion. Instead He asked Isaiah to take off his clothes and to go for a walk.

According to Matthew Henry's Commentary there is debate as to whether or not Isaiah was naked or if he was in his skivvies. Either way he was dressed (or undressed) in a way that would cause most people to run for cover. Hopefully the weather cooperated. I suspect most people, upon hearing God’s call, would have tried to back out but Isaiah did not hide from God’s command nor did he hide from his neighbors. Based on what the Bible says, Isaiah walked through town in this state for three days: three days of funny looks and embarrassing comments. Knowing that he was a prophet, the people probably recognized that this was not some college stunt. Still, this had to be a humiliating experience.

What if God asked you to take off your clothes and walk through your neighborhood? Would you do it? What if God asked for something less embarrassing but just as difficult? Would you do it? What if it were neither embarrassing nor difficult but was inconvenient? Where do you draw the line? Isaiah proved that nothing would stand between him and obedience to his LORD, not even his own clothes. I fear he puts us all to shame. I look at my own track record and realize I've put limits on my obedience to my LORD. Where do you draw the line on your obedience to God’s will? Whose more willing to obey God, you or Isaiah?

Roller Coasters and Trusting God

In my last post I wrote about my first time riding on a looping roller coaster but that wasn't my first roller coaster ride. My first was the Screamin' Eagle at Six Flags, St. Louis. Back then it was called Six Flags, Mid-America and the Screamin' Eagle was a Guinness World Record holder when it opened in 1976 due to its 110 foot climb. I didn't think about it at the time, but by riding I was putting a lot of trust in a lot of people starting with John Allen, the designer of the awe inspiring wooden coaster. I didn’t know him but I am glad he knew what he was doing when he designed his awe inspiring coaster.

In fact, whenever you or I get on a coaster we are putting our trust in a lot of people. There are the designers and their computer simulations. (Yes I know the simulations don't count as people but we trust them all the same.) We trust the builders, hoping they followed the designs to a "T". We trust the maintenance workers and the inspectors whose jobs are to keep the ride safe.  We even trust the teenagers who spend their summers trying to earn a buck while watching others have fun. We wouldn't trust them with our cars but we trust them with our safety on a roller coaster. (Ok, let’s try not to think about that.) The point is we trust a lot of people to keep us safe on a roller coaster even though we really don't think about or even know them.

The same can be said when we drive a car or when we enter a building. We put our trust in the engineers and architects. We trust the mechanics and repairmen to do a good job and to keep us safe. We find ourselves trusting in the workmanship, ability and integrity of people we often have never met. We simply use their products without taking even one moment to think about whether or not they've done enough to keep us safe. We simply trust.

So, is God on that list of people you trust? What about when God asks you to step out of your comfort zone? Do you trust God when He asks you to weather the storm or when He asks you to wait? Do you trust Him enough to be still when every ounce of your being says it's time to move? We call our religion the Christian faith. Faith is all about trust even when our own understanding says otherwise. That is part of the call: that we trust God even when it's uncomfortable to do so. We are called to have faith without any limits on how far we trust Him.

So, even when it's difficult, even in the storms, even when life is like a roller coaster, do you trust God?

Looping Coasters and...What's Her Name?

As a codependent one of the first things to go was my ability to trust. Trust leaves you vulnerable and when you trust an alcoholic, as I did, trust wrecks your life. You quickly learn that being vulnerable can leave long lasting emotional injuries from which it seems impossible to heal. My most important relationship was too unpredictable and too full of pain for me to trust anyone else, including myself. So it was easier to just not trust anyone. In fact, as a child the only thing that I feared more than trusting someone was...well...looping roller coasters.

Back then my favorite roller coaster was any coaster that didn't have loops. I could tolerate the highest hills and the steepest drops. High speed turns were a must as I wanted to feel g-forces, the kind that made it hard to sit up straight. I loved (and still love) wooden coasters even if they sometimes felt rickety and metal coasters are fine, although the smooth ride takes away some of the feeling of speed. Up, down and around, roller coasters have always been my favorite part of going to an amusement park and I would ride any coaster as long as it didn't turn me upside down.

I'm not sure why I was afraid of loops and corkscrews, afterall I knew the physics behind why I wouldn't fall out. My dad is an engineer so I knew the physics behind a number of things and he demonstrated the concept behind a loop by using a glass of ice. The ice barely moved as the glass flipped over. It didn't even raise its hands and scream. (Silly ice, screaming is the best part of the ride.) There was no reason to be afraid but I chose to miss out until that fateful day when my 6th grade class took a field trip to Old Chicago Amusement Park.

Old Chicago Amusement Park was a bit of an oddity in its day: a fully enclosed amusement park wrapped in a shopping mall. Opened in 1975, it was billed as the first indoor amusement park (Mall of America opened years later  in 1992). I doubt the park ever made any money. The rumor back then was that it was built to be a massive tax writeoff. By the time of our class trip it was already clear that the park was in trouble. Many of the stores were closed leaving the mall section with a number of boarded up storefronts painted to look like they were stores from an 1890s era main street. Of course as preteens we didn't care about the boarded up stores, even though we had to pass them all to get to where the rides were. We only cared about two things: the rides and which one of the girls we would ride with.

Funny but I can't remember her name now but back then I would have done anything for her. She knew it and all our friends knew it as well. And so she became the one designated to get me to go where I said I would never go, into the queue of the Chicago Loop: a looping roller coaster named after the section of the city where Grant Park and the Willis Tower (Sears Tower) are located. My friends were quick to correct me telling me they were corkscrews not loops. Either way they turned riders upside down and everyone knew that the idea of a loop made me weak in the knees. But she asked and I was stuck riding the coaster. Anything to sit next to what's her name.

I was scared...to,,,death! So, as the ride pulled off I did what any red blooded coward would do. I closed my eyes. Did you know that with your eyes closed a ride on a roller coaster is over before you realize you've hit the bottom of the first drop? Yes you still get that feeling in your stomach on the first drop but the rest of the ride feels kind of like a wobbly seesaw. I couldn't believe it when the ride was over. What had I been so afraid of?

Later, what's her name conned me into buying her lunch. After that I didn't see her again...ever again. We wound up going to different schools the next year. Such is the life of a preteen. She was out of my life. In her wake I was left with a love for looping roller coasters.

Now I can't leave an amusement park without riding every coaster no matter what type. Just ask my family about the long queue lines. One time we stood in a queue line that was so long that it had a concession stand about a quarter of the way down its length. The ride was worth the wait (the food wasn't worth it but the coaster was). I love roller coasters, especially when they turn me upside down. I wish I could thank ole’ what's her name for getting me on the Loop. If only I could remember her name!

(I understand that as Old Chicago was closing a number of its rides were sold to other amusement parks. The Chicago Loop is now the Canobie Corkscrew located in Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire.)

How God Blessed Us: Pandemic Edition II

Let me start this post by acknowledging the fact that a lot of you are hurting right now. We've lost friends and family to COVID-19. We watch as loved ones suffer from symptoms of the disease, hoping and praying that we will see them get better. Government unemployment numbers tell us that a lot of people are out of work. Many are wondering where their next meal will come from and how they will keep a roof over their heads. Some have already lost both. There is plenty of pain and suffering and fear to go around. It is wrong to overlook those facts.

If you are struggling and/or hurting right now I want to encourage you to reach out to others. Don't suffer alone. You are blessed with people around you. Reach out! There is someone in your life who cares. You might have to do some leg work to find them but they are there. Reach out and let others help you carry your burdens. Let others be a blessing in your time of need.

By now you are probably wondering when I will mention God. Actually I did in that last paragraph. You see, the reason I know there are people around you who care is because I know God has put them there. He has placed people nearby who are empowered to help, people who can bless you because God will work through them to do what is needed. Not everyone fits this description and you may have to push past a lot of people to see the one sent by God, (I speak from experience on this one) but the simple fact is that God is there and He wants to help. His children are here to carry out His mission.

I would normally list the material and emotional ways that God has blessed me and my family over the last month or two. This time I want to speak of the greatest blessing He has given me. The greatest blessing I have received is His presence. Him being here is more valuable than any other of the multiple blessings I’ve received. I am blessed to have the relationship I have with the Father, to endure the last few months in the peace that comes with knowing He is with me. No matter what, I know He cares and will provide for me and my family. He wants you to receive the same blessing. He is knocking. Won't you open the door?