Proximity

Paraphrasing -- (as told by Erwin McManus)

I was walking in the jungles of El Salvador when I was a little kid. I was walking with my brother, Alex, and my aunt and uncle. We didn't get to go out exploring much on our own so this occasion was a real treat. The jungle was full of great mystery and excitement.

One time when I was out with my grandfather, we saw a large iguana crossing the street. My grandfather got out of the car and was going to try and kill the iguana. He said it was a great delicacy. Now see, I'm a beef and chicken kind of guy -- I like 'handsome' meat. This iguana looked like a dragon -- not very appetizing. But my grandfather drew his knife/machete and walked closer to it. When he got too close, the iguana ran off into the jungle. I was rooting for the iguana.

Anyways, on this one occasion with my aunt and uncle we were walking on this road near the jungle. And then suddenly, off in the distance I saw this terrifying monster. His red eyes were staring me down and I just knew he was going to devour me. Have you ever been in a moment where you are truly scared? I was only 7 or 8 at the time, so I was just paralyzed with fear. I literally could not move. Finally, I turned around and looked up to my uncle and managed to reach out to him with both arms. He picked me up and just wrapped his arms around me. Suddenly I felt safe. Looking back on it now, I realize that the monster could have easily just devoured the two of us, but you know, as a little kid, I felt secure and safe.

So, I turned to see my brother, Alex, was still down there. And man, he was paralyzed with fear, too. He turned to my uncle first. He yelled for uncle to pick him up, but he said he was already holding me and he couldn't hold both of us. Then he turned to my aunt. Now you have to understand that my aunt was a really terrific woman -- skinny -- but terrific. But she wasn't very much help in this situation. She leaned over to pick up Alex and tried several times, but she just couldn't pick him up.

So Alex panicked. He started just running off into the jungle: probably the worst thing he could have done. He should have run behind uncle's legs or something... just to get some sort of protection. At the time I loved the fact that he ran -- it diverted the monster away from us and onto Alex.

I think it's kind of like that with God. There are these moments of crisis in our lives -- these moments where we are stricken with fear. And in those moments, it's all about proximity. If you're close to God you will turn to Him and he will save you. But, if you're not close to him, you may run away from the one who wants to save you.

Now, since coming to the states, I've done some research into these monsters... they seem to be called 'basset hounds'... you know, with those enormous ears and beady eyes. I don't' think my brother ever saw the monster... just felt it nipping at his butt... what a sight!

-----------------------------

Just take the story for what it's worth... I love it. He's not saying God only has enough to hold some of us while leaving others out to dry... The point is that if we're close to God then in times of crisis we will turn to him, just as we do during other times in our lives. If we are not close to God, then we will not know where to turn in that moment.

What does 'turn to God' mean? Good question. I don't really know for sure. I think it is a general term that can mean different things to different people. For me, it means to pray to God and admit that I don't have control over a situation, and, in fact, I need to trust that God will deliver me from the bad situation or let me experience it for some greater good, or that I may not know the meaning of the situation for a long time. The praying helps me gain a godly point of view on the situation and therefore, deal with it.

Anyhoo, it was a good church service.
www.mosaic.org - my church website
http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Cravings-Erwin-Raphael-McManus/dp/0785214941/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3777313-1651234?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175484120&sr=8-1
-- link to Amazon to get Erwin's book, Soul Cravings. It's pretty cheap... I want to pick it up, too.

Peace
-Collin



-Erwin talking at the Vertas Forum at Columbia University in NY