One unique gift with my new position is that I am able to go home for lunch. Before I was 30 min. away so it was packed lunches everyday. Now, I can swing into my home and do some simple chores before heading back into the office. We were blessed to have some friends coming over to the house and one of my tasks was prepping for dinner. After cleaning the dishes I looked up only to realize that there was one more chore to be done. Cutting up that stupid watermelon. No one I know likes to cut watermelons, because they are big, clumsy, and always makes a mess. Maybe, I do not like to view watermelon is because they often times remind me of myself. :) As I proceed to cut the melon the I do the same thing I have always done. I cut it way off center. Then the juice starts going everywhere. So frustrated, and swimming in a pond of sugar water I am not enjoying the task at all. To make matters worse the puppies are now at my feet enjoying their nectar at my feet. Can you see why cutting a melon is no longer a joy? Minute after minute goes by and it seems like Jesus himself is causing this thing to multiply. Are we trying to feed the 5,000? There is piece after piece and just when you think that you are done, BOOM there is still one quarter left. ARGH! Then fighting off every urge to throw that last stupid quarter away and lie to my wife when she asks "Are you sure this is all of it? It looked a lot bigger than this." I cut up the final quarter of this giant melon of doom. Once I finished there is no time to relax because now I have to clean up this pacific ocean of juice and chunks of rhine. Finally, looking around making sure the kitchen is up to par with my wife's standards, and monitoring the dogs now that they have had their fill of rocket fuel. Putting the dogs in their cages and just before leaving to go back to the office I must sample this laborious melon from the depths of hades. BAM! Best thing I have eaten ever, I MEAN EVER! That moment when you forget all the work that went into the prep, the moment of sheer bliss. Why is it whenever you bite into a watermelon the same silly grin comes over your face, the same smirk like when you were a child. Then the juice runs down your chin and you don't even notice. After sneaking a few of the biggest pieces out of the bowl (Hey I cut it all up remember!) I closed the bowl up and headed back to the office.
When you think about the passion narrative, the moment when Jesus gave His life up for you, do you still cry? I do! When you think about the grace of God to overlook all of your shortcomings don't you get that same stupid grin, you know that funny little smirk that you do every time you go back to that moment. When we follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit the prep work can seem like an eternity. Trying to nail down love, peace, patience, kindness, and the whole nine yards is less than easy and is more like work. After all, this is not the short and wide road, it the long narrow trip uphill. But, there is no question that after all the work it takes to silence the inner sins, the outer temptations, and all the noise of the world. When you hear the voice of the Father, when He whispers to your soul all the work slips away and you are near your Daddy! You may not like the prep work some days but trust me nothing takes the place of aligning yourself with the Lord. When you walk into His presence and He gives you grace, Yeah there is nothing that can touch that kind of love here in this world. So, roll up your sleeves, commit to knowing its labors are hard, but the rewards of Christ are incomparable to any labor we have to endure.
Strive on my friends, Strive on,
Richard Hiltibran
Lead Pastor-Lewisburg UMC
www.lewisburgumc.org
