Skip to main content

Moving at the Speed of God


Ask most people how their day is going and they will say, “Busy!”

We like the word busy.  Busy sounds important.  Busy sounds like we are doing something.  Busy is a badge of honour in our culture.

Jesus certainly had busy days.  However, I do not think that “busy” was his word.  In fact, Jesus made a point of emphasizing another attitude, as you will see in Luke 8:40-56.

The day begins with Jesus sailing to the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.  As he arrives, he can see that a crowd has gathered.  They have heard that he can heal people and they need his help.  In fact, the crowd is so large and so demanding that they almost crush him as they try to get his attention.

In this group is a man named Jairus.  His twelve year old daughter is dying and so he comes to Jesus and begs for his help.  Jesus agrees and heads towards the man’s house.  Along the way, a woman grabs Jesus’ robe and is healed of a disease.  Oddly, this causes Jesus to stop and talk to her.  As he is speaking, word comes that Jairus’ daughter has died.  Upon hearing this, Jesus says, “Do not to be afraid” and then he carries on to the house and raises the girl from the dead. 

What I want you to notice is that none of those things were on Jesus’ “To do” list for that day. Those opportunities came simply because he made himself available to those around him.    

Interestingly, scripture never pictures Jesus running anywhere.  He walks.  He sits.  He teaches.  Jesus never runs!  He does not rush from one thing to next.  He does not say, “I would love to help, but I am in a big hurry!”  He is never distracted, frantic or worried. 

I wonder what would happen if we made a point of being less busy with our own stuff and more available to the people and the needs around us?

I suspect we would find that the most important ministry we do is what we do while on the way to what we thought was most important.

Available beats busy every time!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Article: Grace Changes Everything

               A young man broke into a business and did $5000 damage. As part of his Restorative Justice sentence, he was required to meet with my friend Garth.   Garth believes in making apologies and restitution.   It took several months, but Garth finally convinced the young man that these were necessary steps, so he tried to arrange a meeting with the business owner.                The business owner wanted nothing to do with this situation.   He was angry and wanted a more severe form of justice.   Eventually, however, he agreed to meet the young man to hear what he had to say.                  The young man looked the business owner in the eye an...

New Article: We need a Better Scorecard

                   “Is that a Sun Ice?”                “Excuse me,” I said.                My friend pointed to my new ski jacket and asked again, “Is that a Sun Ice?”                It was 1991 and Sun Ice was the big name in ski wear at the time.   “No” I replied, “I can’t afford one of those”.                “Oh” he said as he lost interest and then just walked away.                I had not seen this friend in more than a year and, sadly, his first ...

New Article: Surprised by God

                 We would be shocked if we could hear the Bible for the first time again.   On every page, something unexpected happens.   The only reason we are not surprised is that the stories are so familiar to us.   Think about some of the unexpected interactions that God has had with his people.                For example, every culture has stories about a creator, but none imagined that God would become part of the creation.   That the creator would lower himself and become human is surprising, to say the least.                Not only did he become one of us, but he also came as a baby.   A tiny, helpless, baby!   If I wer...