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Sunday, August 22, 2004
Incarnation 16 August 2004
Yesterday I went with three of the girls on an excursion. The plan was to visit a garden, a castle and the town of Yalta. Yalta is 30 kms from where we are staying and the castle only another 20 from there.
Well my dislike for Ukrainian public transport managed to grow. Opting not to spend too much we traipsed from trolley bus station to mashrootka station to bus station. We went at 40 kms per hour and sometimes slower.
Standing in the doorway of a crowded bus, as the driver stopped to let more people in I had this thought:
"Back in Australia I have a perfectly good functioning car, and here more than enough money for us all to travel much better than this. But it means nothing."
Then it hit me, God didn't need us, yet to help us he had to become one of us.
(Now right now I know it sounds wrong to compare myself to God and I also don't want to say that we have it all right and they have it all wrong. But this thought stayed all day so I kept running with it.)
After arriving at the Castle at 5PM having had no food all day, I quite assertively told them we would sit down to eat in a cafe. I'm paying, don't look at the price - order whatever you want.
I ordered a reasonable meal. They all ordered the cheapest menu item and ice-cream. Then one of them decided to go out of the cafe and buy us all some cheap biscuits.
To run with the incarnation theme, I thought, everything is provided yet they choose little, what is not helpful, and then try to add their own efforts.
But how much do I do that with my Saviour? He has provided all I need yet I try to do it on my own or take as little as possible from Him.
The difference - I had to work hard to hide my frustration (there were many little things), yet God is so patient and loving with me.
The Incarnation is more than just a theological thought - it is real love in action.
Well my dislike for Ukrainian public transport managed to grow. Opting not to spend too much we traipsed from trolley bus station to mashrootka station to bus station. We went at 40 kms per hour and sometimes slower.
Standing in the doorway of a crowded bus, as the driver stopped to let more people in I had this thought:
"Back in Australia I have a perfectly good functioning car, and here more than enough money for us all to travel much better than this. But it means nothing."
Then it hit me, God didn't need us, yet to help us he had to become one of us.
(Now right now I know it sounds wrong to compare myself to God and I also don't want to say that we have it all right and they have it all wrong. But this thought stayed all day so I kept running with it.)
After arriving at the Castle at 5PM having had no food all day, I quite assertively told them we would sit down to eat in a cafe. I'm paying, don't look at the price - order whatever you want.
I ordered a reasonable meal. They all ordered the cheapest menu item and ice-cream. Then one of them decided to go out of the cafe and buy us all some cheap biscuits.
To run with the incarnation theme, I thought, everything is provided yet they choose little, what is not helpful, and then try to add their own efforts.
But how much do I do that with my Saviour? He has provided all I need yet I try to do it on my own or take as little as possible from Him.
The difference - I had to work hard to hide my frustration (there were many little things), yet God is so patient and loving with me.
The Incarnation is more than just a theological thought - it is real love in action.
