On the Anvil - Max Lucado [10]
3. Be aware of “thump-slump” times. Know your pressure periods. For me, Mondays are infamous for causing thump-slumps. Fridays can be just as bad. For all of us, there are times during the week when we can anticipate an unusual amount of thumping. The best way to handle thump-slump times? Head on. Bolster yourself with extra prayer, and don’t give up.
Remember, no thump is disastrous. All thumps work for good if we are loving and obeying God.
Have you felt the divine Potter’s thump lately? Why do you think he might be testing you?
If it’s been a while since you’ve been thumped, why do you think that is?
Would you describe your spiritual attitude as singing, or thudding?
18: Who Pushes Your Swing?
Children love to swing. There’s nothing like it. Thrusting your feet toward the sky, leaning so far back that everything looks upside down. Spinning trees, a stomach that jumps into your throat. Ahh, swinging. . . .
I learned a lot about trust on a swing. As a child, I only trusted certain people to push my swing. If I was being pushed by people I trusted (like Dad or Mom), they could do anything they wanted. They could twist me, turn me, stop me. . . . I loved it! I loved it because I trusted the person pushing me. But let a stranger push my swing (which often happened at family reunions and Fourth of July picnics), and it was hang on, baby! Who knew what this newcomer would do? When a stranger pushes your swing, you tense up, ball up, and hang on.
It’s no fun when your swing is in the hands of someone you don’t know.
Remember when Jesus stilled the storm in Matthew 8? The storm wasn’t just a gentle spring rain. This was a storm. Matthew calls the storm a seismos, which is the Greek word for “earthquake.” The waves in this earthquake were so high that the boat was hidden. The Sea of Galilee can create a vicious storm. Barclay tells us that “on the west side of the water there are hills with valleys and gulleys; and when a cold wind comes from the west, these valleys and gulleys act like giant funnels. The wind becomes compressed in them and rushes down upon the lake with savage violence.”
No sir, this was no spring shower. This was a storm deluxe. It was frightening enough to scare the pants (or robes) off of a dozen disciples. Even veteran fishermen like Peter knew this storm could be their last. So, with fear and water on their faces, they ran to wake up Jesus.
They ran to do what? Jesus was asleep? Waves tossing the boat like popcorn in a popper, and Jesus was asleep? Water flooding the deck and soaking the sailors, and Jesus was in dreamland? How in the world could he sleep through a storm?
Simple. He knew who was pushing the swing.
The disciples’ knees were knocking because their swing was being pushed by a stranger. Not so with Jesus. He could find peace in the storm.
We live in a stormy world. At this writing wars rage in both hemispheres of our globe. World conflict is threatening all humanity. Jobs are getting scarce. Money continues to get tight. Families are coming apart at the seams.
Everywhere I look, private storms occur. Family deaths, strained marriages, broken hearts, lonely evenings. We must remember who is pushing the swing. We must put our trust in him. We can’t grow fearful. He won’t let us tumble out.
Who pushes your swing? In the right hands, you can find peace . . . even in the storm.
Are you swinging freely—or are you in the midst of a storm?
Do you find yourself learning to trust God more in either circumstance?
Do you really believe God is pushing your swing? Why?
19: Juan—Lunch
On Friday, May 7, my calendar reads Juan—Lunch. The lunch date never occurred. Juan killed himself on Thursday, May 6.
Three weeks earlier Juan had spent a week in our house. He’d just been dumped by a girl. Dumped hard. Several times I saw him pull out a picture of them together, taken on New Year’s Eve. She was in an evening gown; Juan was in a tux. “Boy,