Don't Stop Half Way - God Wants You to Keep Walking

I woke up this morning with no idea what to write today then a picture came to my mind. First, a little background. Today is Saturday August 22, 2009 and in about six and a half hours a good friend of ours is going to be married in our back yard. We've spent many hours preparing the yard for the wedding and the bride-to-be has spent many hours preparing for her big day. She has sent out invitations, picked out rings, picked out her wedding dress, and chosen her maid of honor and her wedding party. We've mulched, mowed, weeded, washed, painted, and spread stones. Last night they had the rehearsal. You know the pretend wedding. Walk the path, say the things, and do the kiss but no rings, no blessing, no marriage. They leave the rehearsal dinner the same way they came to the rehearsal - unmarried.

So here is the image I had this morning. The pastor and the groom are standing there in the front as the music plays then comes the beautiful bride down the steps and slowly up the aisle. People have tears in their eyes because they know the magnitude of what is about to happen The groom's heart races and his hands begin to sweat just a bit. About half way down the aisle the bride stops dead in her tracks, frozen like a mannequin. There is a weird hush and the music stops. What will she do? All eyes are on the motionless bride. (Just for the record my vision isn't about this particular wedding because I know Susie will walk all the way to her man and leave with a new last name. This is a parable per se. So it's OK Susie, I hope you don't mind me using this analogy on your big day.)

Here is where my vision takes three turns:

1) She turns around and runs for her life. Flowers fall, the groom flashes a look of horror, a low but powerful corporate sigh comes from the people, and the last thing you see is the train of her dress as she rounds the corner and heads out of dodge. She made it half way then went back to her old life.

2) She stays there frozen stiff, not moving forward and not running away. Just going nowhere. She made it halfway and is stuck there like bubble gum in your hair. (sorry, that was the first thing that came to my mind and I had to use it.)

3) She continues her slow and steady procession to the front where she gives her life to the one she loves and her whole life is forever changed. She becomes part of a family and is no longer her own. She is united with her husband and has become one with him. She didn't stop half way!

There aren't many things that are good half way. A putt that gets only half way to the hole. Two years of a four year college degree. A drag racer who's car makes it half way down the track. A skateboard with only two wheels. Half way almost always leaves you feeling disappointed, sad, and unsatisfied.

Peter went half way (Matthew 14:25-31)

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."

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

"Come," he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

The rich young man went half way after asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:16-22):

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

I've witnessed to many people and one thing I see over and over is an initial excitement or curiosity, some sense that their life is on the wrong track and is somehow void of real, eternal meaning. They get out of the boat but then sink part way out. They get part way down the wedding aisle and either freeze or bolt. Then they say to me, "Why, can't I hear from God?" or "Why is my life so empty or confusing?". They go back to their lives unchanged and maybe even a bit worse because they had a small taste of the goodness of God and now their lives taste even a little bit more bitter in contrast. Jesus compared them to seed that "fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root."

One thing I've come to understand about my relationship with God is that it doesn't work well when I stop half way. Sure I stop at times and have fear, stop at times and have sin, stop at times and see stuff in the world that I know is wrong but my flesh wants it, but when push comes to shove I know that nothing really matters if I walk away from the God of the universe who made me and knows the plans he has for me. Do I know better than him? I think not.

Here is my prayer for you today. I pray that you have a sense of God's call on your life and that he grant you the courage and the strength to go the distance. That you walk forward no matter how scary it gets, how many friends walk away, how much the tug of sin wants to drown you under its waves, or how alone you might feel. I think Chris Berman, the NFL commentator, would sound cool saying it like this: "I think he's (she's) going to go ALL ... THE ... WAY!" Let it be so for you.

Please drop us a note if you are stuck in the aisle, running away, or maybe thinking it's time to go all the way. We're here for you but more importantly God is there for you!

Peace, David