© 2017 Lynn Abbott
I have never been particularly courageous even though, as a child, I pretended to be.
My ruse must have been fairly successful because one Saturday afternoon, my neighborhood friends designated me “the leader.”
I sported my new Kelly green, banana seat bike. It was my dream vehicle, and a recent Birthday present.
I’ll never forget that eighth birthday.
Or that game of “Follow the Leader.”
The gymnastics that I asked that Kelly green machine to perform were truly amazing. I glanced over my shoulder before I attempted my boldest move. Suddenly, I sharply turned the handlebars.
The outcome? I hurdled headlong and hit the cul-de-sac pavement.
Splat!
Face plant.
Gasping, I nevertheless tried to appear indifferent. But a bright piece of enamel mocked me from the pavement.
The gymnastics that I asked that Kelly green machine to perform were truly amazing.
“My tooth!” I shouted.
Then, my tears began to flow.
That’s right. I blew my cover.
I was no Evel Knievel. And I had failed miserably as the “leader.”
I scooped the piece of my shattered tooth from the asphalt, and ran home lickety-split.
Never mind my bike. I had lost a significant chunk of my tooth…and reputation.
As you can well imagine, I approached my bike more cautiously from that day forward.
Indeed, I think that after that I began to approach a good many things more cautiously. After all, although the world can be a magical place, it also can be quite dangerous.
Certainly, my life’s journey has vastly differed from my youthful daydreams.
All those adolescent plans to change the world?
Splat.
And as if to add injury to insult: the headlines daily report uncertainty, danger, pain and suffering greater than that of a broken tooth.
I was no Evel Knievel. And I had failed miserably as the “leader.”
In fact, I have to admit that in recent weeks, this world has appeared to me to be particularly filled with heartbreak and fear.
Sometimes, I just want to run home…
Perhaps, you’ve felt uneasy as well.
It could be that tragedy has touched your life personally.
You or a loved one faces illness, betrayal, fractured relationships, financial meltdown, grief…
Or it could be that you watch helplessly as others engage in futile battles. You long to carry their burdens as they make their impossible and unexpected journeys.
You gasp as evil appears to march unchecked. Shadows grow.
Nevertheless, like me, you put on your bravest face as you hurdle over life’s handlebars.
Yeah, there aren’t many Evel Knievals among us.
Funny how it works.
God seems to prefer to light small candles rather than to fire up powerful searchlights.
Or to put it yet another way, God chooses the “foolish things of this world to confound the wise,” ( I Corinthians 1:27 ).
Throughout human history, the worldly insignificant, the wildly imperfect, and absolutely fearful have populated the cast of Abba’s epic, gospel of grace.
God seems to prefer to light small candles rather than to fire up powerful searchlights.
Reading the opening chapter of Matthew’s gospel, I note that the broken, weary, frightened, imperfect and decidedly ordinary comprise the Messianic line.
Of course, the purpose of the genealogy in Matthew serves to establish Christ as the promised King, of the line of David.
However, a closer look at the names of those recorded there reveals God’s heart.
As I review Matthew chapter one, I read Abraham’s name and I recall his many failures, his doubts and fears.
Rahab, the prostitute who sheltered Israel’s spies in Jericho, also made the genealogy.
And Ruth, the Moabite convert to Judaism, is listed there, too. From a human perspective, she seems an unlikely choice for Messiah’s line.
Yet, to Ruth was born Obed; to Obed, a son named Jesse.
And to Jesse? David, the shepherd boy.
We remember David for both his success and later failure as a king. However, God’s choice also initially puzzled both David’s family and God’s prophet.
God, therefore, assured Samuel that the overlooked David was God’s choice: “…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart,” (I Samuel 16:7).
Of course, we also read of Joseph, the carpenter and step-father of Jesus.
We certainly can’t ignore Mary, likely a young teen, when God chose her to carry Christ.
“…for God sees not as man sees…”
Yet, through Christ’s diverse genealogy, God reminds me that He chooses and empowers the seemingly insignificant as well as the sometimes faltering and fearful to accomplish great things.
Without a doubt, I’m an unlikely ambassador for the King of Kings. Oftentimes, I face plant.
Yes, you and I run home to our heavenly Father.
In such moments, Abba comforts, forgives and lifts His children.
Then, He recommissions us with this unfailing promise: “Do not fear, for I am with you…”
“And the LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed,” ~Deuteronomy 31:8
Through Ink & Image 