Having just moved from Cape Cod, MA to Cedar Falls, IA, there have been many adjustments…
- Where is Starbucks?
- Which gas station will I use?
- What is the favorite lunch dive?
- Where is the ocean?
- How tall does corn really get?
- You have to hunt, fish, and own a gun here…(I’m looking forward to that one!)
On and on the list goes! But today, I really want to share an intimate one with you. I deal with this every day. It is funny and serious all at the same time. Are you ready?
Where is the light switch in my office? I know––it seems ridiculous, but it is a transition––a hard one, especially when you have both hands full and need some light on the subject! You see, in my new office, the light switch sits about 8 inches further from the door frame and about a foot lower than the switch in my Cape Cod office. Now again, this might seem irrelevant to you, but for a guy that has a picture hung tightly inside the door frame, I have knocked that picture off about 7 times. I either need to remember where the switch is, or move the picture! LOL!!!!
This morning I walked in after having been out of town for the last 2 ½ days. My hands were full of mail, a couple of new books, a cup of coffee, and my computer bag. And guess what? I knocked the picture off the wall, dropped the mail, but somehow managed to save my coffee! Thank you Jesus!
I got to thinking––people always go to that place where they are trained to go––whether formal training or just constant repeated pattern. Much like our spiritual life! We continue to go back to the place that is warm, safe, constant, and the place that does not stretch us! It seems we are always looking for a place of comfort and familiarity!
Jesus deals with this in scripture. Luke 9:24, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.”
Familiarity can cause you to drop the mail, hit the picture, and maybe lose your coffee. Just when you are searching for meaning and safety in Jesus; it may not always seem safe, comfortable, and probably will not always make sense. But you can count on one thing––you will know where the Light switch is!