Street Crossing
I made a business trip to New York City a couple of decades ago. Four and a half days there and, believe me, I was ready to come home. The smog and, to me, foreign surroundings made me homesick after I hadn’t been there an hour. Not that there weren’t certain aspects of my visit that I enjoyed. Great food, great museums, skyscrapers and a penthouse on Broadway with a marvelous view of the Chrysler Building.
Oddly enough, one of my favorite things about New York was the cabbies. I was told to take only Yellow Taxis. (This made one guy in a black cab angry when I refused to ride with him.) Now, everything you’ve ever heard about New York cabbies is true. They were worth the trip in and of themselves. They were brash, bold, brave and bullying. If they could get the corner of their bumper into traffic, nothing would stop them from squeezing into the stream of oncoming vehicles. One guy I rode with, upon being blocked by construction, simply and nonchalantly pulled up onto the sidewalk, drove about ten yards down the pavement and just as coolly pulled back onto the street. It was all great fun!
Yes, traffic here in God’s Country is bad, but nothing compares to what I saw on the fast streets of Manhattan Island. And Heaven help the pedestrians! I feared I’d meet my Maker on more than one occasion trying to pass through that dangerous current. I was yanked out of the way of onrushing vehicles at least once. Yes, I was fortunate to have someone beside who was paying more attention than I.
In related thinking, It has always amazed me how most Christians view our walk with God. We spend our lives living in the dangerous intersections and busy thoroughfares of life. We have no hope of successfully crossing to the other side. Traffic is too fast, the vehicles are too numerous and the drivers care entirely too little. Stepping off the curve is dangerous enough, but you can’t even trust many motorists to stay on the road. (Remember the New York cabbie?) There is no place safe!
Can you recollect when you weren’t allowed to cross the street? If you did cross, you were required to hold the hand of someone who loved you. It was the only safe way.
Crossing the street holding my father’s hand taught me many things. Namely, he was in charge of watching out for cars, I was easily distracted, paying more attention to crawling bugs and chirping birds, and he had a really, really strong grip. Truth be known, I was often less led across a busy street than dragged across it. Another important point: no part of my journey was dependent on how strong my grip was; it mattered not if I held his hand. Dad was completely in charge of all the hand holding. And as far as allowing me to escape into the river of oncoming vehicles or taking off on my own under such dangerous circumstances, well, I’d have had to break his arm off, (or, more easily, my own,) to get away from him and, as I said before, he was much, much stronger than I.
I might suppose that too many of my fellow Christians didn’t have the big-handed, strong, in-my-business, protective father that I did. Maybe that’s why they can’t quite conceive of the security I enjoyed while in his grip. Maybe that’s why they see themselves, though they’d never confess it, as better parents than even our Heavenly Father. Maybe they actually are better parents than what they had.
Too many Christians think that their Heavenly Father is either an absentee father or an ambivalent one. They preach and teach that our relationship, (which is, remember, a familial term,) is ours to maintain. Even those who believe we can do nothing to affect our salvation believe that our relationship and/or fellowship somehow must be maintained through our own mental, moral and spiritual strength. They reason that by the power of our own will, we can somehow preserve our relationship with the Father of Light. Even more bizarre, they see no contradiction in that line of thinking whatsoever!
I’ve even had one or more try to argue with me with words like, “Oh, we can choose to leave. He won’t force us to stay.” What sort of a parent takes that absurd attitude? We force our children every day to eat their vegetables, come inside before dark, do their studies or take their baths on Saturday night. Yet, we think our Father above doesn’t want to, perhaps, “cramp our style” or “restrict our self-expression.” That sort of “logic” makes my head want to explode! My God, my Father, my Abba, is completely capable of protecting His children, His sheep, from harm from any wild beast. He is even more than willing to protect us from ourselves, if need be.
I’ve heard that shepherds will use the crook of their staff to take hold of the leg of a sheep about to stupidly wander off a cliff or into some other danger. The story goes that they’ll hook its leg, even going so far as breaking it if necessary, to keep them from being devoured, destroyed or destroying themselves. Yes, the good shepherd keeps his sheep and does not lose a single one!
I heard at least one preacher make the claim that God is a gentleman and won’t force Himself upon anybody. They site the scripture, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…” Well, yes, I would agree that my Savior is a gentleman…WITH STRANGERS! Where His own children are concerned, though, He has no interest in etiquette, politeness or civility. His only concern is our survival. He holds no qualms about hurting our feelings or cramping our style to protect our precious souls.
Try to imagine, if you will, while crossing a literal, busy street, your small child looking up at you and saying something to the effect, “O, father, I no longer wish for you to hold my hand. I can cross the street on my own and, should I not make it safely o’er, well, isn’t that my choice?”
Have you stopped laughing yet? How absurd! Yes? Of course! You would only tighten your grip and keep your eyes peeled even more. If the little one tried to escape, you’d likely take him in your arms and carry him across. He’d have absolutely no choice in the matter! And if you were my dad, he’d give me a little something to teach not to be making such asinine remarks to him.
We think we are so big! We delude ourselves into thinking that, once we give ourselves to God, we can somehow renege on the deal. We think of Him as a weakling that can be robbed by His own servants. We have somehow convinced ourselves that we are co-equals and, even, partners in this relationship. That it’s very much like we tell married couples today…fifty-fifty! Excuse me, but if it isn’t one hundred percent Him, then it’s nothing at all!
Yet, our pathetic over-active egos constrain us to believe and desire that we play a role, however small, in either our salvation or our relationship or both. (Usually the latter.) It’s manifestly stated in the scriptures that Jesus Christ is not the way-maker, He is the Way!
You may say, “If I am free to do as I please, without fear of repercussions or consequence, then why serve God?” If you have to ask that question, no rational or explanation could ever convince you that what I say is true. If you ask that question, your problems are bigger than you realize!
Hebrews 6:13 “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself” Hebrews 6:13
Oddly enough, one of my favorite things about New York was the cabbies. I was told to take only Yellow Taxis. (This made one guy in a black cab angry when I refused to ride with him.) Now, everything you’ve ever heard about New York cabbies is true. They were worth the trip in and of themselves. They were brash, bold, brave and bullying. If they could get the corner of their bumper into traffic, nothing would stop them from squeezing into the stream of oncoming vehicles. One guy I rode with, upon being blocked by construction, simply and nonchalantly pulled up onto the sidewalk, drove about ten yards down the pavement and just as coolly pulled back onto the street. It was all great fun!
Yes, traffic here in God’s Country is bad, but nothing compares to what I saw on the fast streets of Manhattan Island. And Heaven help the pedestrians! I feared I’d meet my Maker on more than one occasion trying to pass through that dangerous current. I was yanked out of the way of onrushing vehicles at least once. Yes, I was fortunate to have someone beside who was paying more attention than I.
In related thinking, It has always amazed me how most Christians view our walk with God. We spend our lives living in the dangerous intersections and busy thoroughfares of life. We have no hope of successfully crossing to the other side. Traffic is too fast, the vehicles are too numerous and the drivers care entirely too little. Stepping off the curve is dangerous enough, but you can’t even trust many motorists to stay on the road. (Remember the New York cabbie?) There is no place safe!
Can you recollect when you weren’t allowed to cross the street? If you did cross, you were required to hold the hand of someone who loved you. It was the only safe way.
Crossing the street holding my father’s hand taught me many things. Namely, he was in charge of watching out for cars, I was easily distracted, paying more attention to crawling bugs and chirping birds, and he had a really, really strong grip. Truth be known, I was often less led across a busy street than dragged across it. Another important point: no part of my journey was dependent on how strong my grip was; it mattered not if I held his hand. Dad was completely in charge of all the hand holding. And as far as allowing me to escape into the river of oncoming vehicles or taking off on my own under such dangerous circumstances, well, I’d have had to break his arm off, (or, more easily, my own,) to get away from him and, as I said before, he was much, much stronger than I.
I might suppose that too many of my fellow Christians didn’t have the big-handed, strong, in-my-business, protective father that I did. Maybe that’s why they can’t quite conceive of the security I enjoyed while in his grip. Maybe that’s why they see themselves, though they’d never confess it, as better parents than even our Heavenly Father. Maybe they actually are better parents than what they had.
Too many Christians think that their Heavenly Father is either an absentee father or an ambivalent one. They preach and teach that our relationship, (which is, remember, a familial term,) is ours to maintain. Even those who believe we can do nothing to affect our salvation believe that our relationship and/or fellowship somehow must be maintained through our own mental, moral and spiritual strength. They reason that by the power of our own will, we can somehow preserve our relationship with the Father of Light. Even more bizarre, they see no contradiction in that line of thinking whatsoever!
I’ve even had one or more try to argue with me with words like, “Oh, we can choose to leave. He won’t force us to stay.” What sort of a parent takes that absurd attitude? We force our children every day to eat their vegetables, come inside before dark, do their studies or take their baths on Saturday night. Yet, we think our Father above doesn’t want to, perhaps, “cramp our style” or “restrict our self-expression.” That sort of “logic” makes my head want to explode! My God, my Father, my Abba, is completely capable of protecting His children, His sheep, from harm from any wild beast. He is even more than willing to protect us from ourselves, if need be.
I’ve heard that shepherds will use the crook of their staff to take hold of the leg of a sheep about to stupidly wander off a cliff or into some other danger. The story goes that they’ll hook its leg, even going so far as breaking it if necessary, to keep them from being devoured, destroyed or destroying themselves. Yes, the good shepherd keeps his sheep and does not lose a single one!
I heard at least one preacher make the claim that God is a gentleman and won’t force Himself upon anybody. They site the scripture, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…” Well, yes, I would agree that my Savior is a gentleman…WITH STRANGERS! Where His own children are concerned, though, He has no interest in etiquette, politeness or civility. His only concern is our survival. He holds no qualms about hurting our feelings or cramping our style to protect our precious souls.
Try to imagine, if you will, while crossing a literal, busy street, your small child looking up at you and saying something to the effect, “O, father, I no longer wish for you to hold my hand. I can cross the street on my own and, should I not make it safely o’er, well, isn’t that my choice?”
Have you stopped laughing yet? How absurd! Yes? Of course! You would only tighten your grip and keep your eyes peeled even more. If the little one tried to escape, you’d likely take him in your arms and carry him across. He’d have absolutely no choice in the matter! And if you were my dad, he’d give me a little something to teach not to be making such asinine remarks to him.
We think we are so big! We delude ourselves into thinking that, once we give ourselves to God, we can somehow renege on the deal. We think of Him as a weakling that can be robbed by His own servants. We have somehow convinced ourselves that we are co-equals and, even, partners in this relationship. That it’s very much like we tell married couples today…fifty-fifty! Excuse me, but if it isn’t one hundred percent Him, then it’s nothing at all!Yet, our pathetic over-active egos constrain us to believe and desire that we play a role, however small, in either our salvation or our relationship or both. (Usually the latter.) It’s manifestly stated in the scriptures that Jesus Christ is not the way-maker, He is the Way!
You may say, “If I am free to do as I please, without fear of repercussions or consequence, then why serve God?” If you have to ask that question, no rational or explanation could ever convince you that what I say is true. If you ask that question, your problems are bigger than you realize!
Hebrews 6:13 “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself” Hebrews 6:13
posted by The Preacher's Kid | 11:51 PM
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