It's been a rough couple of months. Several months ago I lost my job, right before Christmas and four weeks after I'd gotten engaged. From then up until yesterday’s most recent incident there would appear to be a string of occurrences that have plagued me, adding additional stress to my life.
The most recent incident happened last night. Our wedding invitations came in and I went out to pick up a few last minute additions (ribbon and registry cards) to include in the invitations. I had dropped off Lindsey at Beauty and the Beast rehearsal – opening night is this Thursday – and I was taking care of those small details. It was on my way to join her for the remainder of the tech rehearsal when I decided I would get her a surprise cup of her favorite liquid caffeine, Pike’s Place from Starbucks. Things have been stressful lately, so I pulled in and ordered. It’s a good thing I also ordered a Salted Carmel Signature Hot Chocolate AND that it took fifteen minutes for them to make it, or my disaster could have happened in the middle of Glenstone Ave and Chestnut Expressway. Instead however, my accident happened at the pick-up window of our local Starbucks.
In spite of the overheated engine and radiator fluid floating up into the nighttime sky, I managed to get my vehicle out of the drive-thru line and into the corner of the parking lot. From there I somehow made it next door to “Daytona’s” - the auto repair shop.
I could have been in the middle of the intersection of Glenstone Avenue and Chestnut Expressway. I could have gotten in an accident. The head gasket could have blown. The engine block could have cracked. I could have had nobody to call. Things could have been worse, a whole lot worse.
I wonder, as the pillar of cloud kept the Egyptian army in the darkness and the Israelites in the light, what went through their minds when Moses parts the Red Sea and tells the Israelites to start walking. The Bible tells us they walked through on dry ground, and yet I wonder what the Biblical definition of “dry” is. Could it be that the ground was maybe just a little bit muddy? After all, moments ago it was covered with water. Who knows, maybe it was like the rest of the desert, but I can’t help but wonder how many Israelites, after walking between the walls of water, still found reason to complain about their muddy feet upon making a safe arrival to the other side of the Red Sea.
And then I was challenged by the Lord… “How often do you complain about your own muddy feet?”
Wow.
Sometimes I think God wants us to muddy our feet, so He can take us where we’re going. Maybe we just need to shut our mouth and follow Him. And maybe, just maybe, He wants us to muddy our feet because once we get to where we’re going He will wash them off, showing us “the full extent of His love” (John 13:1).
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The Bible records a familiar, yet interesting story in Exodus 13:17-14:31. If you're unfamiliar with the reference, it is the story of Moses parting the Red Sea so the Israelites could pass through ahead of the Egyptians. I remember when I was in grade school, fifth to be exact, and it was as if suddenly someone somewhere in some agency counted backwards and realized that MY class was going to actually graduate in 2000. Now, this might not seem like that big of a deal nearly a decade later, but at the time it was a HUGE deal. |