The Water's Not Fine. Jump In Anyway.

By Gobel Brockman


I'm not one of those people who thinks that every dream has to have a meaning (unless they mean "Don't have that third piece of pizza right before bed"), but I had one a few years ago that has always stuck with me:

     In this dream, I was in a valley beside a very tall mountain. There was a river that ran beside the mountain that was flooded and running rapidly. Several people were trapped in the current. I was in the river with two or three other people fighting to rescue them. We were struggling and exhausted, but we were also working together well and being successful. We would get one person to the bank, then go back in for the next person. Even though it was a struggle, I remember a feeling of absolute joy in what we were doing. We were fighting, but we were also rejoicing. I then looked up and saw people on the mountain looking down and watching what was going on. What I remember is the looks on their faces: they were jealous of us. They we safe from the danger, but they were also "safe" from the joy that we were experiencing in seeing others saved.

Ministry can be messy at times. People sometimes get into situations where we want to ask, "What were you thinking?" There are other times when people are in horrible situations through no fault of their own. Regardless of how they got there, that's where they are, and that's where they need grace - and God. Taking grace to others where they are can be a battle, but seeing the Holy Spirit touch someone's life in an undeniable way brings a joy that I can't properly explain. There's a temptation to stay "on the mountain" where it's safe, but that's not where most hurting people are. I think of people who minister in Haiti, surrounded by disease and suffering. People involved in urban ministry, helping people bound by drugs and homelessness. It would be safer for them "on the mountain,"  but if you were to ask them, I feel safe in saying that the joy in seeing others touched by God is worth the risk to them. 

But here's a problem - too many times I catch myself "on the bank" being critical of those "in the river" instead of jumping in to help. I sometimes amaze myself at how easily I forget that once it was me in that river. God has been so long-suffering with me, and He calls me to express the same to others. How easily I forget.

I guess my point this week is this: if you know Christ as Savior, you received grace because you needed saved. Now that we know Him, He wants us "in the river" so others can be saved as well. While you're in there, always remember that at one point it was you. And know that there is incredible, indescribable joy in seeing others rescued, even though it can indeed be a struggle.

So jump in. It's not safe. But it's worth it.