Walking by the Tree

The message Sunday night was from Luke 19, the story of Zacchaeus. Some of the thoughts that I had while listening to the message.

1. The crowd
1. They passed judgment
1. on Zacchaeus
2. on Jesus
2. They stood by on the sidelines
3. They missed out on the blessings
2. Zacchaeus
1. He was determined to see Jesus
2. He was changed by Jesus
3. He was humbled
4. He was accepted by Jesus
5. He was found by Jesus
6. He was redeemed by Jesus
3. Jesus
1. He had a plan
2. He moved with a purpose
3. He sought out the lost
4. He saved the lost

This is not a complete list, nor is it completely fleshed out. It is just a series of ideas that came to mind during the message on Zacchaeus.

Like a Walk in the Park

Well, it is Monday, July 3. I work tonight, am off tomorrow, and resume the normal schedule on Wednesday. Today, as with most Mondays, I get the day with Josie. Probably her favorite question any day, but especially on Mondays, is "Can we go to the park?" I try to accommodate when possible, but sometimes schedule or weather do not cooperate. Today, all is good, so we are at the Adventure Park in Mechanicsburg - popular place. Safety and security are never a concern, neither is the source of the next meal, snack, treat, etc. Simple childlike trust that all will be well, so let's play.

Then come the adult years. Dreams come and go and life gets real in a hurry. College choices, degree choices, job choices, location/relocation choices. Marriage, housing, church, etc. Day after day, choice after choice. Each choice carries consequences and the consequences help to reroute us on our path. Life is one "re-calculation" (GPS-speak) after another. And yet, the little children simply look forward to the next time we visit the park or the next visit to the play area at Chick-fil-A or McDonald's. The adults pray for guidance and direction, for God to provide wisdom, discernment, for jobs and provision. We may get discouraged and disappointed when our goals and plans do not come to fruition, but all the children want the next time to have fun.

If all that we truly want is to glorify God, then He should be able to direct us along the path He chooses, whatever and wherever that should be. If He reroutes us, then "Fine." We must simply be willing to go and do what He asks. Just as we expect the little ones to obey, so we are expected to obey. We just follow. God never promised that life would be easy, nor did He say that it would go according to plan. He did promise to never leave us.

And so, we continue on the path that we travel, waiting for the next set of instructions, we exercise patience, trust, and obedience. If we can trust God with our eternal destination, we can surely trust Him with our day-to-day lives, even when life does not make sense. We just trust as the little child at the park.

Enjoy and have fun.