Far From Over
"Then the woman knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, 'Daughter your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.' While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. 'Your daughter is dead,' they said. 'Why bother the teacher anymore?' Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, 'Don't be afraid, just believe.'" Mark 5:33-36
After days of extremely slow fishing in cold and rainy weather, frustration was beginning to boil over within me. "We drove all the way to Canada, spent all this money to catch nothing!!" "I could have caught nothing in my living room watching basketball!" Yes, the whining was relentless. I was over that fishing trip to be sure. It was a complete bust. After another morning of futility, we found ourselves casting near a sunken island in one of the bays. And, of course, I got all snagged up. I pulled to try and free my hooks only to observe that my "snag" began to move! After 15-20 minutes of hooting, hollering, big splashes and fine netting skills, I was holding a 40+ inch 20+ lb. Muskie. (I have pictures to prove it. :o) What a rush!! I couldn't do that in my living room. Later that same week, I caught a 32 inch 8+ lb. Walleye ... on the same lure!! Unbelievable!
We live in a world that continually pushes us to ... "It's over." We'll hear, "Forget about it and move on." "It can't be saved." "They're a lost cause." "It's hopeless." "They're dead for goodness sake." When we buy into this thinking, we'll walk away from our marriage covenant. We'll bounce from church to church or just stop going altogether. We'll quit jobs or simply escalate the tension. We'll burn relationships even when we know better. We'll suffer and grieve without hope. Tragic, to say the least. The people in our scripture today refused to embrace the "it's over" mentality. The woman was suffering for years, but knew if she could just get to Jesus, it wasn't over. The father pierced to the heart by the words that his daughter was dead, followed Jesus through tear-filled eyes only to receive her back from the dead. You see, even when it's over, it's not over. Not even death means it's over, as Jesus told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise."
Some of us, perhaps all of us, are about to give up on something ... a friendship, a job, a dream, a church, a marriage, hope or possibly even God himself. Even if our "snag" today is death itself, Jesus can move that too. Be encouraged today, even when it's over, it's not over.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
After days of extremely slow fishing in cold and rainy weather, frustration was beginning to boil over within me. "We drove all the way to Canada, spent all this money to catch nothing!!" "I could have caught nothing in my living room watching basketball!" Yes, the whining was relentless. I was over that fishing trip to be sure. It was a complete bust. After another morning of futility, we found ourselves casting near a sunken island in one of the bays. And, of course, I got all snagged up. I pulled to try and free my hooks only to observe that my "snag" began to move! After 15-20 minutes of hooting, hollering, big splashes and fine netting skills, I was holding a 40+ inch 20+ lb. Muskie. (I have pictures to prove it. :o) What a rush!! I couldn't do that in my living room. Later that same week, I caught a 32 inch 8+ lb. Walleye ... on the same lure!! Unbelievable!
We live in a world that continually pushes us to ... "It's over." We'll hear, "Forget about it and move on." "It can't be saved." "They're a lost cause." "It's hopeless." "They're dead for goodness sake." When we buy into this thinking, we'll walk away from our marriage covenant. We'll bounce from church to church or just stop going altogether. We'll quit jobs or simply escalate the tension. We'll burn relationships even when we know better. We'll suffer and grieve without hope. Tragic, to say the least. The people in our scripture today refused to embrace the "it's over" mentality. The woman was suffering for years, but knew if she could just get to Jesus, it wasn't over. The father pierced to the heart by the words that his daughter was dead, followed Jesus through tear-filled eyes only to receive her back from the dead. You see, even when it's over, it's not over. Not even death means it's over, as Jesus told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise."
Some of us, perhaps all of us, are about to give up on something ... a friendship, a job, a dream, a church, a marriage, hope or possibly even God himself. Even if our "snag" today is death itself, Jesus can move that too. Be encouraged today, even when it's over, it's not over.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
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