The Other Shoe

I heard this amazing man speak at last weekend's conference - his name is Tom Davis and he runs Children's Hope Chest which sponsors orphans in many countries and rescues children from sex trade.  During his speech, he began to draw a beautiful picture for the audience:

It's a beautiful snowy night at Christmas time.  A mother and father are driving down the road in their car while their children sit in the backseat singing Christmas carols and laughing.  It's dark outside and the snowflakes glisten in the street lights. 

Then he said:  End scene.  What happens in Scene Two?

Think about it.  You just heard Scene One.  What is the first thing you imagine happeninng in Scene Two? 

Do you know what almost everyone said?  Scene Two shows a car accident.  Almost everyone who heard that beautiful scene pictured it as a movie and believed the next image would inevitably reveal a gruesome car accident. 

What does that say about us?  About me?  The first thing we think about, the first place our mind heads when we see something so perfect, is the disaster that will inevitably come next. 

We have become such a apprehensive people.  We almost wish against experiencing a beautiful scene in our own lives for fear of what will come next.  There couldn't be an instance of unadulterated joy unmarred by misfortune.  Misfortune must follow.  What does that say about our faith?  Our perception of God?  Even the most optimistic among us, including me, sees the car accident as an inevitable consequence of the beautiful moment of blessing.  We spend our lives waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

It doesn't have to drop.  Sometimes, there is no other shoe. 

Psalm 21:  You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—length of days, for ever and ever.  Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.  Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

Ephesians 1:  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ. 

Does that sound like a God standing around dropping shoes on our heads?  Granting unending blessings and LAVISHING the riches of His grace? 

Can I paint you another story?  A real story?  A story from my life on Friday night:
It's a beautiful summer day.  The Vincent family is driving to the farm to celebrate the husband's birthday.  Their three two year olds are in the back seat singing songs and laughing.  The wife is looking back at them while the husband answers his phone.  Their rear tire blows out as they suddenly hear bump, bump, bump, bump against Interstate I-10.

Do you know what Scene 2 is?  A car crash?  Stranded for hours while waiting for a tow truck while the birthday is ruined? 

No.  We were in traffic so we were not driving fast.  We were mere seconds from an exit.  Off of that exit was a Sears Auto store that told us the tires were rare and would have to be special ordered.  Yet less than a mile from that Sears store was a Discount Tires that had our exact tire in stock and we could limp there without a tow.  It was near closing time, but we arrived before 6.  They finished the repair in less than an hour.  We still had birthday dinner at the farm.  The blow out had not happened the weekend before when Bray was taking the kids to the farm without me.  There was money in our bank account to cover buying a brand new tire.  There was even time for everyone to indulge in birthday cake after dinner and sing the birthday song to my precious husband who kept his head level the entire time. 

There was no other shoe.  The blown tire was not a shoe but rather a reminder of Him LAVISHING His grace all over our lives.  That was a display of His splendor and majesty.  That was the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure. 

I will sit still today and rejoice over our blessings.  I will not run around in circles worried that the sky is falling.  Because friend, when the sky falls, He will be in it and it will just be one more thing to marvel at. 
(Mark 13:26: At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.)