Demanding

Ever felt that life is too demanding?

Have a look at this lot from Matthew 14:

• Herod has John (Jesus cousin) killed. When Jesus hears about it he goes off in a boat to a quiet place.
• When the boat arrives there is a crowd of people waiting for Jesus, so he spends the day healing them
• As it gets late they realise no-one has any food and it is too late to get any, so Jesus does the miracle of feed 5thousand people with 2 loves and 5 fish
• After they have cleared up 12 baskets of leftovers Jesus sends the disciples off in the boat and goes up the hill to be by himself
• In the middle of the night Jesus walks across the water to catch up with the disciples who are having a hard time in a storm
• When the disciples see Jesus they freak out. Then Peter decides he wants to try walking on the water too and Jesus has to catch him.
• Once Peter is safe back in the boat Jesus sorts out the storm
• When they get to the shore, there is a crowd of people waiting again, and again Jesus spends time with them healing them
• Then the Pharisees turn up wanting a religious discussion about handwashing.....
  

Jesus had every right to take some time out to mourn for John. He did not have to heal the people in the crowd who were pestering him, but he had compassion on them. He was not obliged to feed them, but he cared about them. He did not have to spend time teaching Peter about faith by letting him try walking on water, but he was dedicated to training this chap and saw it was important in the long term. He could have avoided the crowd when they turned up again- he had done more than his duty the day before, but he did not keep a record like that. And so on....

Sometimes when I am busy I forget to smile or forget to talk to people. I get snappy when someone asks for something and I think I already have more than enough to do. Generally I don’t mind doing things for people, my problem is I am so much in my own world I don’t notice things that need doing, or people who could do with a friendly word, a txt or a visit.

Who am I that I am so important that my needs should always come before everyone else’s? Am I so selfish that all my time should always be all my own? Jesus did not think like that, he was loving and patient and generous to everyone.

At the cross, when Jesus was being crucified, he saw Mary his mother and John his closest disciple. Jesus cared deeply for them both and told John to take her home as his own mother, and reassured Mary that John would care for her. I would not have done that. I would have been like “excuse me! I’m getting crucified here, can’t you sort yourselves out? Who do you think I am? Social services?”

It was because Jesus cared so much and was so unselfish that he was even prepared to go through the cross and take the blame for us so we could get to know him, and through him get to know God who loves the stubborn and selfish people of this world who have been doing their own thing since the Garden of Eden.

It’s a challenge to me to think outside of my own little box, and to step out and do something for someone else that will cut across my own plans or comforts.