Linear Consequences or The Person

Have you ever found yourself in some kind of mess but with the "right person?" Jediah Tanguay and I were windsurfing off of Rocky Point on a day in April 2010. The wind picked up to 37 mph from a westerly direction. We could not get back to land. We were getting colder and colder and found refuge on Hart-Miller Island. The story is long; in short, we were rescued by the Coast Guard.

Has your car ever broken down by the side of the road? Have you been stuck in an elevator? Have you been lost in a city you didn't know? Have you failed an exam, been publicly embarrassed, or been misunderstood? Have you ever been in a mess but found it was OK because of who you were with? 

We are actually very relational.

We blame ourselves for the mess, but we also realize that life is not always linear. By linear, I mean the idea that A + B + C = D. People build their whole lives on planning and living in a linear way. Some think A + B + C = D; but not always. The linear plan for our lives makes sense. If I eat well and exercise regularly, I stay healthy longer. If I get a good education, I will find also a good job. If I find a find a good job, I'll buy also a great house. If I marry a great girl, I'll have a great marriage. Train and teach the children and then great kids; and so on. 

We will not deny the laws of life that work and apply, but it is also an error to look only for the great "D." The goal may evade me, or it may not be actually what I'm really looking for. Or, if it happens, it may bolster my pride as I take so much credit for a "together" life. 

There is another model for living. It is to live in the mystery of a relationship with God. His Person allows me to be free enjoying His plan. "My ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8). I believe it is a unique wisdom to think relationally. One reason why sailors love the sea and wind is because of the changes of these elements. They venture out prepared, but also vulnerable. We should love sensing our vulnerability and know that "D" may not happen. Life should be lived relationally. A man who finds himself in a pickle may find the true meaning of life. He may find the Savior. If he trusts his Savior, he will find a "new and living way" (Hebrews 10:20). This is actually amazing. What will the linear thinker do when he crashes? What will happen when the plan takes an unexpected twist? Christ came for us and His knock on your door essentially says, "You don't have enough. I am God. I am the Way, Truth and Life." He loves you and He is the One you are actually looking for. 

How then does it work? Jesus Christ makes much about God. He says He always does what He sees His Father do. He teaches us to go beyond human reason by pointing to the Eternal Reason. Forgiving seven times seventy times a day for the same thing is big. Who could do this without God? We need a relationship that will never fail us. Christ has given us that relationship.