Interlude

Matthew 1-2 “That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.”

I find it interesting that it has been one month since I have written in the JesusWalk Blog. I started this past journey with the intent of taking some time to discover what Jesus did when He got alone--to practice some of that discipline and to take some time to discover things about myself. Sometimes self-discovery is not a pretty thing. There are dark areas of life that I don’t like to visit, and often it is in the midst of taking time away from our regular routine that we come face to face with stuff that needs to be dealt with.

Depression, sorrow, anger, fear and a host of other issues need to be confronted from time to time so that we can discover what really is important in life and then choose a better course of action. I think that is what Jesus did when He got alone…by himself, to discover the better course of action. Life is difficult, and many times things don’t work out the way we think they should. Therefore, each junction of the journey we are faced with the questions about, “What Now?” What now is part of the process. However, you can’t stay there. Inaction breeds more of the same negative emotions, which lead to the very issues we must stand against.

If you notice in this reading, Jesus did not stay at the shore of the sea for long. The ministry to which He was called to fulfill was upon Him, the crowds gathered and He did what He always does. He was their teacher, healer and leader. Life is like that. We are called to do what it is we do, yet in the midst of the doing we need the interludes--the time in-between to gather ourselves. We need to define our course and to focus our emotions for the task which lies ahead.

It’s not wrong to have these times. Jesus teaches us throughout scripture that He got alone. He needed it; we need it, plain and simple. Not to take time to be alone leads down paths of darkness which will rob us of the love and joy which God the Father wants to fill us with through His spirit. Sometimes we want to stay there, but ministry calls and there is work to do, people to love and hungry to feed. The Good News is ours to share.

Interludes--a time in-between the times of ministry to sit by the sea, to think, to pray, and yes, sometimes even to cry because of the pain. But that is all it is, a time in-between. It is not the journey but the oasis for the refreshing of our souls.

So it is time to get back to work, for a season until the next time that the seashore calls to confront us, to cause us to sit in silence, and listen for the voice of God in the midst of all the worlds’ voices. The journey is ours to take. As a good friend of mine is fond to say, “Have faith; it all comes right.” Thanks Pastor Mike Sanders.

Walk on my friends, Rip