Good Friday morning! This is your lucky day! Friday the 13th commemorates the day that Joachim Pillywag tried out the first floating bridge in 1318. Unfortunately, Joachim had not yet perfected the art of anchoring the bridge on the far end and took an unforeseen floating trip downstream as the poorly anchored near end also broke loose in the current. At first some witnesses thought that ol' Joachim might have perfected the art of walking on water as the bridge sank slightly under his weight. The game was up however when Joachim tried to walk to the shore with the pompous air of the soon to be sainted (at least in his own mind that is). He demonstrated what became known as Pillywag's Lever when the former bridge tipped up and dumped the surprised wannabe inventor into the drink. There is your totally fictitious Friday the 13th tale.
After many years in corporate America, Friday still brings a strong urge to fool around in place of my complete seriousness on the other days of the week. What? Why is everyone laughing? Okay, so maybe there are a couple of other days when I am not totally serious. Trusting in God tends to lighten my heart. Do I have problems? Certainly, and I can even witness to the fact that I am not the only one. Belief in Jesus, trusting fully in His providence, and the love of God does not mean that problems suddenly vanish and life becomes a nap in a shaded pasture. No, the psalm that mentions laying down in green pastures also mentions a trip through the valley of death's shadow. Yesterday. I completed the reading of a three volume history of the Third Reich. I realized quickly enough that I read my way quite literally through the valley of death's shadow. Wow, even writing about it the next day brought my happy mood to a dead halt. The lesson from all that? When Christ leads you out of that dread valley, don't turn around and look back; you might fall right back down into the shadow.
Enjoy the day, love your neighbor, and walk with Christ!Bucky
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