A Ghost...maybe not - Mary Bonner

During the fourth watch
of the night Jesus went out to them,

walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him
walking on the lake,

they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,”
they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them:
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Matthew 14:25-27

So the disciples are on the sea…in a boat…in the dark! I wonder if they had any idea that Jesus would come to them while they were being buffeted by the wind. Can you imagine the waves? Can you imagine the wind? I have seen some storms on the sea…they can be pretty scary from inside a house! I cannot imagine being in a boat in the midst of the storm. Yet…here the disciples were, in just that situation. Imagine being in a boat, in a storm, in the evening (see verse 23) and here comes a GHOST walking towards you on the water! No wonder the disciples were frightened! Jesus was coming to their aid, yet not in the way they expected.
How many times does he come into my life in a way I do not expect? How many times do I have the opportunity to be Jesus to someone in a way I do not expect? How many times do life’s situations turn out to be different that I expect? Maybe there is a lesson here for me…to be more open minded…to be more open eyed…to be more open. PERIOD. My ways and ideas are not the only way and certainly not the only right way, yet I am sure over the years my husband and son would tell you differently! 🙂 I don’t want to miss the opportunities the Lord has for me because they are different than I expect them to be.
Lord, please help me be open to YOU and YOUR WILL. Help me not to miss the blessings and opportunities you send me because they are different than I expect them to be. Help me to look for them and be willing to follow you, so that I may fully experience what you have in store for me.

As you know, I just returned from a trip out west. The homeowners meeting went OK and we were able to put off the big spenders for a while longer. My sister and her family joined us. They live in California and we don’t get to see each other often, so it was nice to be together. My nephew, 12, is a ruthless Parcheesi player! My sister and her family wanted to go white water rafting…I am not a daredevil or an adrenaline rush type person…but I went. Enough said. Been there, done that, don’t plan to do it again. I was absolutely SCARED. TO. DEATH. before we started. The leader of the group gave an absolutely FRIGHTENING talk before getting off the bus. I wasn’t so scared on the water, it is just not my thing. I turned out not to be as scary in the rapids as I thought it might be, but I am not interested in doing it again. FYI…we did a Class 3. Besides white water rafting, my husband got the condo painted, I did some shopping at the outlet mall, lots of walking and being outside. Last October, when I was there I saw a moose on my morning walk…no such luck this time, but I did enjoy just being in the mountains, enjoying God’s creation. The weather was beautiful and as I have said before, I find the mountains peaceful and serene.
Happy Birthday to my friend Beth…I am blessed to have you in my life.
Dear friends…my prayer for you today is that you open yourself to find Jesus in the place you least expect him…imagine how exciting that could be! What do you think???
Peace and blessings….

2 Comments

Natalie on June 30, 2010 at 5:59 pm

I agree whole heartedly about how He comes to us in unexpected ways and open unexpected doors for us. I'm with you, Mary, looking for Him wherever and whenever and however He comes!

Glad you had a peaceful trip 🙂

Susan in SC on June 30, 2010 at 11:04 pm

What a beautiful post. I am so glad you were able to get away and enjoy the mountains. I live in the mountains and just love it, although we do not have moose here! Thank you for your sweet comments you left on my blog.