Pastor’s Corner: “Jack in the Box Faith”
Luke 12:40 (AMP) – 40 You too, be continually ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”
Some of us (older) can remember the jack-in-the-box toy from our childhood when we were growing up. For those of you who are too young to know what it is, here is a description: It consists of a box with a crank and when the crank is turned, a music box mechanism in the toy plays a melody. After the crank has been turned a certain (unknown) number of times, the lid pops open and a figure, usually a clown or jester, pops out of the box. But you never know when the figure will pop out of the box. It is always a surprise!
For some of us surprise visits are not our idea of a good time. There is always a sense of dread, a lack of control of the situation, and a possibility of being “caught” doing something we think we shouldn’t be doing. We may know something is coming, but not knowing the when and where can cause more anxiety than the actual event!
Some of us feel this way about Jesus’ visits as well. What if we are caught slacking off or doing something we think we shouldn’t be doing (we may have a long list of things we shouldn’t be doing). But the truth is once we began to KNOW Jesus more, we began to realize that the anticipation and looking for His showing up becomes way more enjoyable than we can imagine (childlike wonder). We find that Jesus is truly interested in our life and situations. Instead of fearing a situation we began to thank Him for the situation and look for–anticipate–how He was going to “POP UP” into the situation and take care of it.
The more I look to Jesus throughout my day and stop focusing on the “outcome” of my day, the more joy I experience and the more relaxed I become. Living off my checklist hurrying from one insignificant “important thing” to another in my day has now turned into a slower pace, allowing me to have relationships and finding that often, that’s where Jesus shows up. They are unexpected “Jesus appointments.”
When you scan the Biblical story you can’t help concluding that following God brings a life of surprises. Whatever plans God’s people made and however they tried to figure out God’s plans, they were constantly greeted with surprises. They faced turns in the story that they never would have anticipated. God’s plan again and again included things that would not have been included in the story if his people had been doing the planning.
One of the reasons for this is that we human beings tend to focus on outcomes. We simply want things to go well and turn out right. God surely does care about the end of all things, but he is graciously at work in the process as well. The surprises along the way are God’s surprises. He is never caught off guard or unprepared. He calls us to follow him beyond the boundaries of our wisdom, strength and character. The waiting we have to do and the surprises that we face are meant by Him to be tools of grace. They are designed to release us from our self-reliance. In those moments of surprise, it is important to remember that you may be confused, but God isn’t.
As a follower of Jesus our greatest need is a readiness to face Jesus Christ at any and every turn. Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him; He appears where we least expect Him, and always in the most illogical situations. The way a servant can remain true to God is to be ready for the Lord’s surprise visits. This readiness is not brought about by works (legalism) for Him, but rather through a heart and desire to be with Him, expecting Jesus Christ at every turn. This sense of expectation will give our life the attitude of childlike wonder He wants it to have. Matthew 18:2-4 (NIV) – 2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton