One early morning, after a fierce storm had hit the coast, I strolled to the beach for my morning walk. Horrified, I saw that tens of thousands of starfish had been washed up on the beach by the winds and waves. I was saddened by the realization that all of them would die, stranded on the shore, away from the life-giving water. Despairing that there was nothing I could do, I sat down on the sand and put my head in my hands.

But then I heard a sound, and I lifted my eyes. There, in the distance, I saw a man bending down and then standing up, bending down and standing up. Curious, I rose and walked toward him. I saw that he was picking up the starfish, one at a time, and throwing them back in the sea.

“What are you doing?” I yelled.
“Saving the starfish,” he replied.
“But don’t you see, man, that there are tens of thousands of them?” I asked, incredulous. “Nothing you can do will make a difference.”

He did not answer me but instead bent down, picked up another starfish, and cast it back in the water. Then he smiled, looked me in the eye, and said, “It made a difference to that one.”

When I read that parable in the book “The Hole In Our Gospel” the idea of making it personal became clear.

Then I started to think about Jesus and the example he set. I used to look at Jesus’ miracles as Jesus displaying his power to people. Oh wow, Jesus did it again! Great job on healing that leper!

Then it hit me. Jesus made it personal. The stories that were recorded about the miracles he performed are personal stories. Jesus heals a man with leprosy, Jesus heals a blind man, Jesus and the rich young ruler, the faith of the Roman Officer, Jesus raises a widow’s son, etc. Even when he fed the 5,000, the lesson became personal for his disciples.

Jesus was relational. He healed on a personal level. We should do the same. Love and serve others on a personal level and build relationships that last longer than a few moments. One person at a time.

“Don’t fail to do something, because you can’t do everything.” – Bob Pierce

People kept asking the blind beggar, “Who healed you? What happened?” He responded many times with:

“The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” – John 9:11

He told that to his family, his friends and then told the Pharisees. He was telling everyone what happened to him. The change that had taken place. He didn’t fully understand everything, but he was eager to tell. I am not even sure if the beggar had even seen Jesus yet, but he sure did experience him.

Then he was brought in a second time by the Pharisees for more questioning and something amazing happened. A picture of a “marked change.” The Pharisees told him that “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” His response is beautiful:

I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”

He didn’t have all the answers! He didn’t have all the knowledge. But what he was sure of was that he had been changed. That he had a divine appointment and his life has been forever changed.

Sometimes in life we attribute spiritual maturity to head knowledge. How smart the person is. Dare we say, “I don’t have all the answers…but I know this. I had an encounter with the living God that has changed me forever. I want to tell others about it and I will not be scared because I don’t have all the answers. I was blind, but now I can see.”

An encounter with the living God through spit and mud. There is nothing God cannot do.

“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his desciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parent’s sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” – John 9:1-3

The power of God can be found in everything. I’m not sure how old this blind man was, but can you imagine being blind for so many years? Going through life not seeing. Suffering and hardships were not new to this man. He had spent years dealing with them.  Do you think he lost hope?  I hate to admit it, but I would have.  It’s tough to see hope in suffering.

Then one day Jesus came walking by.

And the man became lesson #65,948 to the disciples.  Using spit and mud (Jesus spit, so I am NOT stopping anytime soon), he rubbed it on his eyes and told him to go wash his face in the pool of Siloam.  Now, I am not a bible scholar by any means, but I took it that Jesus went on his way after that.  He didn’t stick around to see the end result.  I imagine the disciples taking furious notes on their lesson.  Probably turned the page on that lesson and was ready for the next one, but the lesson wasn’t over.

God’s power being shown through the blind beggar was just getting started…

Hope is a golden cord connecting you to heaven. – Jesus Calling

“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”
Romans 12:12

“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us
through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.”
Hebrews 6:19

What would happen if we lost hope? The “golden cord” connecting you to heaven becomes loose as you let go of your end. Your head lowers and the feet that once marched bravely ahead begin to barely move. Progress is at a standstill. The road you are on is rocky and uneven. If you were able to lift your sunken head to look around you would see a path that is full of detours, mountains, valleys and roadblocks.

If you have ever felt that way remember that cord of hope. It’s still in your hands. Grip it. Pull it towards you. Stretch the cord tight. The road around you will remain rocky and uneven. There will still be detours, mountains, valleys and roadblocks, but you will have hope. Hope in the creator of the world. The one who loved you so much he allowed his only Son to die for you. Enough said.

There are many ways to open a door, but a grateful attitude is one of the most effective. Learn the art of giving thankfulness in all circumstances. It will cushion the impact of trials when they come against you. – Jesus Calling 7/24/09

“Be thankful in all circumstance, for this is God’s will for you who
belong to Christ Jesus.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18

There’s something soothing about being thankful about something. A feeling of gratitude towards someone who has blessed you. But do we think about being thankful as a way to open up a door? Showing thankfulness to someone adds depth to a friendship/relationship. It adds trust. Trust that might be needed in future circumstances. It apparently works the same way with God. Showing gratitude towards God increases trust and when you are faced with a situation that requires a lot of trust, you will be thankful again that the impact of the trial fell on a mound full of trust instead of a crater full of doubt.