Poisonous snakes.....part 3

Yes, you are right. I am going to get as much mileage out of these poisonous snakes as I can.  As much as I don't understand about this episode in the desert, there is so much depth to this amazingly commonplace event.

No, poisonous snakes are not commonplace for many of us (excepting Ms. Kate, whose encounter with a copperhead will be long remembered).....but all that led up to the coming of the snakes is commonplace,  Unfamiliar territory is only fun for a limited time (and for the more timid of us, that time is very limited).  An unknown destination excites until the potential pleasure of arrival is outweighed by the aggravation of getting there.  A road trip with your 4000 best friends and relatives - well that takes about 3 days to get on my nerves.  A leader who disappears up whatever mountain is handy for long periods of time does little to evoke confidence.

Many would add to that list a God whom you cannot see.  Following someone who speaks only to that imperfect leader who is  standing up front, who speaks from the top of a mountain and who won't allow you to get close enough to hear for yourself - well all of that does not build relationship.  In fact, it is a recipe for doubt.

In fact, I think the only way you can continue, day after day, to walk into the unknown is by trusting at the core of your being, the one whose voice is calling you forward.

So I get it when my neighbors are unsure of this concept of God - the divine creator whose desire is for life for all people, who has reached out to humankind to lead them towards life, who will nourish them spiritually and strengthen them for the long journey into the unknown.  I get it.  I really get it.

I have been lost in the darkness and doubted.  I have been weighed down by responsibility far greater than I wanted to bear and cried out.  I have lost that which was beloved and wondered.

When I am in the midst of the unknown territory - not knowing either the destination or the time of arrival; not even sure I will recognize the destination when I get there - my anxiety soars and I want certainty (an email would be nice) or reassurance (an unmistakable sign) or even some respite (time off from the pressure).  So I understand that many cannot figure out how to take even a first step towards trusting....towards faith.

Which is why God takes the first step towards us.  I see that in Jesus, but I also see that in my secretary who listens and helps me find a way.  I see that in the woman who smiles in the parking lot of Price Chopper even though she doesn't know me at all.  I see that when a family reconciles at the death of a parent.  All of that is God stepping out towards us - through people we will recognize, hoping that one day you will recognize that it is God at work.

But, really, what about those poisonous snakes?  tomorrow.....