In Yoke

" …And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side. ..." Mark 6: 45-52. We are apt to imagine that if Jesus Christ constrains us, and we obey Him, He will lead us to great success. We must never put our dreams of success as God's purpose for us; His purpose may be exactly the opposite.   We have an idea that God is leading us to a particular end, a desired goal; He is not. The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What we call the process, God calls the end. What is my dream of God's purpose? His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and un-perplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God. God is not working towards a particular finish; His end is the process--that I see Him walking on the waves, no shore in sight, no success, no goal, just the absolute certainty that it is all right because I see Him walking on the sea. It is th...

I don't get God. Is God an 'it', or is 'He' a 'He'? or is 'she' a 'she'? or a spirit without form, or simply wide open nothingness, or is God-- a burning bush? I don't really know. and within my own reasoning, I don't "get" God. Jesus made it plain. He said to address God as our Father, or even Abba ---"Daddy". Jesus anthropomorphized the Source, the Creator, by ascribing to him the characteristics of love and care, like dear ol ' Dad. I like it, but I have a hard time believing it...even coming from the Master of all. Sometimes I can approach God as a father. Other times, when I am confused about why certain folks have to die (like my 32 year old niece who was the absolute sweetest girl ever made) if God is as powerful as he is said to be, then...why?...or others whom I know well ---that have terrible things happen to them. I know, I have heard it over and over--"this world is not my home, I am j...