As I was saying in my previous blog, my grandma and aunt came out to visit me. One day I decided to take them to White Rock. We rented grandma a walker and headed to the beach! When we got there she wheeled herself up to the railing and stood there for a minute while I paid for parking.
When I got up to where she was she said, “Now I really don’t mean to bother your girls, and I know you are going to be upset with me when I say this, but I would really rather use my cane today. Walking on the pavement is too difficult with this walker.” So I took her walker back to the car and grabbed her cane.
We started making our way over to the pier and grandma gripped the railing with one hand and her cane with the other. When we got to the pier we had to cross some train tracks and so she grabbed my hand and I helped her balance as we walked.
It worked out quite perfectly as I tend to move at a stroll pace anyway.
About half way down the pier this group of middle aged people were walking back and passing us slowly as they stopped and looked over the railing every 5 seconds. Grandma and I just kept walking and talking as she held on to my hand. One woman looked at me and smiled, so I smiled back. As we passed by her, her grin just kept getting bigger, then as we were about to pass she whispered “that’s special.”
My grandma throughout the walk would apologize for walking too slow, and when we offered to stop she would want to keep going. She is very strong and she doesn’t want to be a burden. But it reminded me a bit of how I treat God.
I think I have my life totally figured out, but I don’t. In my mind, I don’t need a crutch, or a cane, I can handle walking just fine. Jesus is walking next to me and we are chatting or whatever, but we like, don’t need to hold hands or anything. If anything happens, like I trip, or someone almost rollerblades into me, Jesus will help me out. I mean, he’s right there, he’s RIGHT next to me, and we’re talking.
But is it enough to just be talking to him? Is it enough to just have him by my side ready to catch me if I fall?
What if I spent my life grasping onto his hand? What if I leaned on him, even when I could hold myself up?
Scripture describes Jesus as a “Cornerstone.” Isaiah 28:16 says, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.”
The definition of a cornerstone is: “A stone that forms the base of a corner of a building, joining two walls. An important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based.”
Jesus was never intended to be just some guy strolling alongside us. He is our cornerstone, he is there to be leaned on. Even when things are easy.
I have a tendency to slack on stuff when my life gets easy. Things are going my way and I’m not facing too many challenges, and well, I just don’t need to read my Bible because things are going good. And those are the times when things sneak up on me. I put Jesus on the sidelines and run full force towards a path filled with rocks and roots sticking up to trip me.
My grandma leaned on me, and she took a few moments here or there to rest. When we got to the end of the pier we turned to start walking back and the sun was on our right. She said, “uh oh” I said, “What?” She said, “Now I can see my shadow and I’ll see how much I wobble.”
The truth is, we are always wobbling. We may not see it, and we think we are fit to walk on our own, but it’s happening. Jesus is there to be held on to, not just to grab when we trip, but to lean in to every hour of every day, to be our firm foundation.
But, what a blessing it is to wobble when you are leaning on Jesus.
Missio Dei Latte 