For the last few years my home has been in a townhouse complex. Since the complex was built in 1981 there are a number of maintenance issues to pay attention to, but this past year the Strata Council has been focusing on the dips in the driveway where water collects. Since we live in a rainy part of the world, puddles are to be expected, but even if one of the owners washes their car or the sprinkler system goes on, puddles develop. One particularly rainy day this spring, as I was walking down my driveway I found myself before an enormous puddle.
There were a few things that I noticed right away about this puddle and after thinking about it for a while some other things occurred to me. First, although at a distance this puddle blended in quite well with the areas of the driveway around it, the reason I noticed it was because as I came closer the light reflected from the sky caught my attention. Even on that cloudy day, it looked shiny. Next, when the wind blew across the surface of the puddle the light sparkled and glistened on the waves. The puddle also reacted when the rain drops landed in it and when I walked through it, causing waves and splashes. The puddle was something that grew or shrunk depending on whether there was a water source. In the summer, when it gets warmer, sometimes all that is left of that puddle is a little pile of dust in the dip in the driveway.
That is when I had an epiphany! We are all puddles!!!
You may not want to take this analogy all the way down to the mud, but consider the following comparisons. First we can seemingly blend in and become invisible until we shine with reflected light. We are supposed to be reflecting the light of God’s goodness, grace, love, and will to the world around us. We stand out from the landscape of the general population because we look different when we shine.
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (Matt 5:14 NLT).
We can feel the spirit of God in our lives as it moves across the surface of our puddle, causing it to change shape, ripple, and His light reflects and sparkles off of us. Times like these have been described by some as our “God conscience moments”. These are the moments when we have given our will to God, asking Him to help us, and we experience an answer to that prayer or request. We can feel the power of God at work in our lives, just as was promised.
“Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and (that) your fruit should abide: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (John 15:16 ASV).
“…and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt 28:20 ASV).
“What happens is not as important as how you react to what happens” (Thaddeus Golas).
We also react when things fall into our puddles or drive through our puddles. The way we react to situations or events can be a practical opportunity that can be useful to God when those around us observe how we allow that thing to change or affect us. Alternatively, it can simply be a negative event that we spend a lot of time and energy on, but in the end is pretty useless to us or to God. Learning to control the ripples, waves, and splashes that are caused by what it is that has disrupted the calm on the surface, is part of our witness as believers.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ was constantly bombarded by situations, where things were thrown into or driven through his puddle. There were always people making demands on him and challenging him, physically, emotionally, spiritually, morally, and/or legally. He literally became the king of being able to stop himself from reactions that not only would be regrettable, but also would have been sinful. He constantly turned these opportunities into useful moments in his life.
Christ’s preparation for his ministry was important to how well he was able to react to the challenges presented to him. He filled thirty years with personal study of the word of God, and in building a personal relationship with God. He spent the next three and half years of his life, constantly maintaining that relationship. It was important that he maintain that level of connection with his Father and so for Christ, prayer was more important than food or sleep. We see the consequences of his preparation time and the constant maintenance of that relationship with His father in Jesus’ reactions. Over and over again, Jesus doesn’t answer a fool according to his folly. He simply presents the truth and the folly becomes evident.
Take for example the woman caught in the act of adultery. They come to him with the woman in tow and demand a ruling on the case. Our own reaction might have motivated us to ask questions regarding the nature of the discovery of this individual, or we might inquire where her partner had gone to, since she was caught ‘in the very act’. We may have demanded to know which one of them had been the bait, or which of them had set the trap. Jesus doesn’t enter into the argument however, he simply presents the truth. Perhaps by bending down and writing in the sand he controlled his reaction to this situation until he could present the truth that they had blinded themselves to for the moment. In the end the only man who could have thrown the first stone, demonstrated to that woman that he had no intention of doing so (John 8:4-11).
It is an interesting study to look at things that Jesus does not do. Count the times that Jesus does not argue with people, or the times he does not dispute with those who held false beliefs or wrong doctrine. Even when the false doctrine seems so obvious and easy to dispute, there is seemingly silence from Jesus. When he cast the demons out of Legion and into the pigs, the only message he seemed to be sending was that even if there were demons, he was more powerful than they were (Mark 5:1-19). It doesn’t seem important to him to clear up their misunderstanding about demons.
Then we can also count the times that Jesus doesn’t point out the moral errors of people surrounding him. The woman of Samaria, although attempting to worship the God of Israel, was divorced five times and was living with a sixth man. Jesus does not focus on the moral standing of her as a believer, but spends some days there preaching to the whole town. We are not told the end of the story, but perhaps that is because the end is not as important as the opportunity to preach to those he knew were waiting to hear the gospel – those in need of God’s grace! (John 4:5, 39-43).
There is a stark contrast between those things that Jesus does not do, compared to the amount of times we dive in to “straighten out someone”. The error, in our minds, is so obvious, as is the solution. There is seemingly no need for pause, or for the benefit of the doubt. Yet, perhaps taking a page out of Christ’s handbook would help us to avoid reacting in a way that would be more negative than useful. A simple prayer for guidance, a thoughtful investigation of the subject in Scripture through personal study, or perhaps being sure that all the information is understood, would be a good place to start. After that we could ask the question: Should we react? And if ‘yes’ — then how? What is the appropriate thing to say, or not say? However above all, if we are to reflect the grace God to those around us, we need to be sure to present truth. How can we as sinners, cast the first stone? Perhaps it would be better to simply remind ourselves of the grace that has been extended to us, and in understanding our need before God, speak of that need to those who are lost.
Puddle Analogy
The last bit of the puddle analogy of interest is the way it grows and shrinks. Obviously there has to be a water source. When we have access to that source our puddles grow, and when we are cut off from that source our puddles will shrink. If we are not careful in the feeding and the maintenance of our puddle, we may end up as a little pile of dust in a grove in the ground, quite literally. One of the best ways to take care of our puddle is by personal study. It is always wonderful to attend classes that someone else has spent time and energy preparing, but nothing can compare with the amount of spiritual food gained though individual personal study. The benefits of personally studying the word of God are extensive and they are summed up nicely in the verse:
“… study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you; that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing” (1Thess. 4:11-12 ASV).
This verse indicates that the water of the word that feeds our puddles keeps us out of other people’s business, helps us deal with our own struggles, builds our personal faith, helps us walk honestly before God so that we are better able to understand those who are lost, and fills up the empty places in our lives. Amazing!
Nevertheless, what if life does not allow the luxury of time for personal study? What if getting to the Sunday worship service, or midweek Bible class, is all that can be managed during the week? That would be the definition of Puddle Survival Mode. Our puddles may not shrink to nothing, but we may be only just maintaining. There are times in life when we have no choice about the way our time is spent. Sometimes we hit the floor running in the morning and fall into bed at night without one moment to spare. During those times, it is so wonderful to have other puddles around that are willing to pour a little of their water into ours. Sharing things that we are studying with each other, speaking often one to another, and assisting in the maintenance of all the puddles within our reach, for most of us can often mean the difference between living and dying spiritually.
However, when we do have time to schedule some personal study, the benefits are immeasurable and almost immediate. We can be energized by it and the reaction to it entering our life causes our faith to grow, and our increased surface area reflects more of God’s grace to those around us. Sometimes it is difficult to know where to begin with personal study, and therefore it can be discouraging. Suggestions gleaned from other students include perhaps making note of words, phrases or themes that interest us, to use as a place to start. Character studies and place studies are also very instructive, and interesting. There are many commentaries on all sorts of topics that we can use to structure our study time. These are the personal studies of students of the Bible, and they were usually motivated from a desire to share with others the interesting things that they discovered during their personal study time. A profound compliment can be paid to the author of any commentary, when their study motivates the personal study of others!
However, a few sad facts remain: First, that if we do not feed our puddles with the water of the word and build a relationship with God, we could end up as just a pile of dust in a dip in the ground! Then there are the challenges that we are throwing into each other’s puddles. What are we asking of each other as fellow believers? What challenges are we forcing on each other? What objects sit in our fellow believer’s puddles which are a direct result of our carelessness or neglect? How willing are we to help to remove those challenges and pour water into other’s puddles rather than rubbish?
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35).
Add to that the fact that we all have items in our lives which perhaps have little or nothing to do with our brothers and sisters, and we are coping with them every day. Do we focus so much on those items that we allow them to destroy our lives, so that they become the defining characteristic of our puddle around which is very little water, or are they surrounded and washed by the water, so that they are still there but not so noticeable?
Final Thought
One final thought comes to mind: If our puddles are healthy, growing, reflecting, and reacting in positive ways to the things that are thrown into them or that drive through them, we can look forward to the fact that our puddles will at some point join up with other puddles, and ultimately they will cover the globe. Then our collective puddles will be reflecting the glory of God, “as the waters cover the sea” (Isa.11:9).
- Pursue
- Understanding
- Don’t
- Destroy
- Love
- Each Other
- Shine
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One