On This Rock I Stand

For the first time in a long time, if ever, Easter has taken on a very meaningful spirit for me. Lately, the church has been under a lot of fire and stress with legal and social dilemas. The pope is under fire from the Catholic church for the controversy he has hidden. Christian radical groups, or should I say radical groups that claim to be Christian, have tainted the church by violence and extremism this past week. All this took place during the week leading up to Easter, the holy week, which made it hard to focus on the true meaning of Easter. Things have just been discouraging.

Easter this year was away from home, probably the first time we weren't at home for the holiday. We visited my sister in college and attended her church for services. Her long time boyfriend joined us, bringing his little brother from the Big Brothers, Big Sisters foundation along with him. Felipe was a young boy, around nine years old, who was mostly shy and self kept but polite and cordial.

The six of us took our seats and waited for services to start. The people were friendly, the pastor was genuine, and the church was a great place overall. Still flooded with the chaos of life and drama of Christendom, though, my mind just wasn't focused on church. It was elsewhere. I was concerned with all the things the Church should be fixing. My mind wasn't prepared for Jesus. It was distracted with other relationships. It wasn't where it should be. It was scattered.

As worship got underway, I tried to focus my heart on God, the real star of the show. It just wasn't there though. About that time, my sister leans over to her boyfriend a few chairs over and motions for him to give her his Bible, which I thought was odd seeing as she had her own Bible with her. She took his Bible and tossed it on the ground and stepped on it! It was way out of place but then it hit me. My sister has hip dysplasia, and as a result, is missing a few inches on one of her legs making her off balance when she stands still. Her boyfriend's Bible, however, compensated those inches perfectly. She could stand straight and comfortably during worship by the support of the Bible under her feet. That's when it hit me.

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp unto my feet,

   and a light unto my path.

It took on a very literal meaning this year. The word of God is not just something I should take to heart, but stand on with confidence just as my sister could stand on the Word and be comforted by it, literally. It was a strong foundation that I needed to continue to build upon. It reminded me of a hymn written by Edward Mote: "On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand." My mind was sinking when it should have been founded solidly on the Rock.

And as I looked down at timid, young Felipe, I prayed it over him. After all, he's young and innocent. He doesn't need the heartache of sin and guilt over his life; a life filled with disappointments and sorrows when he could be given the Word to stand on confidently and Jesus' blood to wash him clean of guilt.

It was an unorthodox sign, but then again, I have found that most of God's signs to me are unorthodox. Stand on the Word, literally. Walk out of the house with confidence that the Word is with you, that Christ has saved you. May that confidence be wherever you go.

KB