GENDADS

I love it when Jesus laughs.  Those serious authors of the Gospels left out a lot, I think.  Because as we trudged the trail upward (hey, it’s not fair; He had sandles and wasn’t even huffing), He reared His head back with this great, almost raucus laugh when He described one of His favorite memories of me.  Suddenly it became mine.

 Strange, though.  It was deeply painful at the time.

Rather than the tomes it’d take to describe the fire that destroyed our garage and much more, I’ll just sum it up but tell you about Jesus’s take on my and my bride’s reaction.

“Gary, when you and your lovely Carolyn lost all your Christmas decorations and those years of family photos, that wasn’t a fire from Hell. It was mine. I was pleased how quickly you recovered. The biggest prize for me was knowing you lost those five years of research for your doctorate and that last project you worked on day and night. Can you guess what was your biggest loss yet my biggest joy for you?”

I guessed right. That final work about the character of God and how it should frame everyone’s witness. I quoted Tozer back to Him, “Man can not witness aright if he doesn’t know God aright.”

This is when He laughed. “I knew you understood my plan when you told your mission colleagues, ‘Maybe God stopped an overachiever in the act of destroying the humility he had so little of to begin with. Hey, “Doctor, Reverend, Captain” was too long a title for a business card and way too much of me.’ I was so happy for you. You had learned enough to enjoy and pass on to others My character as God, but you just wouldn’t be able hand out books about Me with your name on it.”

“How are you feeling?” He said with concern but a chortle in His voice. “Great, actually, Jesus. Just to know you were pleased with our recovery. Boy, that was a hard time. Carolyn still misses our babies’ pictures. We asked You for strength and understanding. You gave it. Since it was really You who answered our prayers, is it too late to thank You, Jesus?”

He said, “Of course not. I knew all along, but you know how I love to hear it. Before we get to the top of the ridge, I still have a couple of illustrations to share with you on how you thought you were doing My will, but were not.”

“Oh.”

THIS MIGHT BE THE TIME TO ASK YOU, DEAR READER. Think of the last major trauma. Did you see God’s hand in it, and did you count on His touch to bring you through? Did you thank Him?